Sudan Tribune

September 7, 2015 (NYAL) - South Sudanese rebels in Payinjiar county of the oil-rich Unity state have accused pro-government forces of launching another offensive against their bases on Monday evening through river Nile.

Soldiers from the South Sudanese army (SPLA) on guard in Bentiu, the capital of South Sudan's Unity state on 12 January 2014 (Photo: Reuters)

The new attack came after several attempts by government troops to recapture rebels controlled areas along the Nile in Upper Nile and Unity states despite the permanent ceasefire came into effect on 29 August as declared by President Salva Kiir and armed opposition (SPLM-IO) leader, Riek Machar, after signing of the peace agreement.

Payinjiar county commissioner John Tap Puot told Sudan Tribune that a huge convoy of South Sudanese army (SPLA) have attacked their bases along the Nile at 5:00 pm. He said the government forces were repulsed and being chased towards Shambe port, south of Taiyar port.

“Yes, our forces have clashed this evening with convoy loaded with armed forces coming from Jonglei, toward our direction. We have repulsed them back from where they started their journey,” Puot said.

He further said that government forces were using two barges and several gunboats when they started attacking their locations on Monday.

However, commissioner Puot said there was no reported causalities on their side, but claimed a huge loss on forces loyal to president Kiir when they exchanged fire.

He blamed the failure to respect the ceasefire on South Sudanese president Kiir whom he said either blessed the ongoing violations by his forces or lost command control of his forces.

GUNSHIPS ATTACKS IN UPPER NILE

Meanwhile, Captain Paul Malieth, an opposition spokesperson for rebel army's Special Division One under the overall commands of Major General Johnson Olony, has accused government forces for bombarding civilians populated areas of Owaji, Lelo and Tangbuong in another oil-rich Upper Nile state on Monday between 3:00-4:00pm.

“We condemn this in [the] strongest terms possible the barbaric attacks by pro-government [forces] on our positions through use of gunships,” he said.

He called on IGAD and the wider international community to put pressure on president Kiir's government to respect the permanent ceasefire and implementation of the peace agreement.

(ST)

September 7, 2015 (JUBA) –Authorities in South Sudan's Western Equatoria state declared on Monday a night curfew after unknown gunmen shot to death four people.

Western Equatoria's information minister Charles Kisanga (ST/File photo)

Charles Kisanga, the state information minister said efforts were underway to arrest the suspects.

"The WES government can confirm reports that four civilians were killed and two wounded critical (including one year baby boy) by unknown gunmen around Yambio town over the weekend,” he explained in a press statement.

According to Kisanga, the gunmen on Friday night attacked Asanza area by storming into houses and killing a police officer identified as Abraham.

"[He] was killed with his wife and [the attackers] tried to kill his mother and two children but they managed to escape their room which was set ablaze,” said the minister.

Western Equatoria was considered one of the peaceful regions in South Sudan. But in June, clashes erupted between the army, cattle keepers and local communities leaving scores dead. The state assembly speaker was last month also killed by gunmen.

In the latest cases of targeted killings, however, the attackers burnt remains of those killed.

"Also on Saturday afternoon a lorry returning from Nabiapai market was stopped with automatic fire and it was looted when the occupants fled for their lives to nearby bushes. Although no one was hurt in the ambush people lost all their goods and some people were still missing hours later,” Kisanga said of a separate incident.

On Sunday night within the capital, Yambio, the suburb of Hai Timbiro was attacked by unknown gunmen. A woman only identified as Naatiyo, who was killed together with her daughter (Hipai) of 14 years. Hipai attended Young Angels Primary School, Kisanga said.

"Also a baby boy of one year was shot in the hand, breaking the hand while a third woman the mother of the child escaped with a lot of bullets wounds making her condition critical,” he added.

The minister, however, said the state authorities have to act on the insecurity situation.

“The Government further after meeting of the state security committee, has now ordered patrols at night of the state capital, Yambio, by joint organised forces and a curfew is being declared to start immediately and to come into effect every day at 10 pm and run to 6 am in the morning,” said Kisanga.

“The targeting of innocent children and the act of killing and burning of victims is very deplorable and there is no excuse at this time to commit any such crime by any armed group whatever their motives are,” he added.

(ST)

September 7, 2015 (KHARTOUM) – A Sudanese presidential assistant has accused Uganda of orchestrating a meeting in Addis Ababa last month between the African Union Peace and Security Council (AUPSC) and the Sudanese rebel groups.

Sudan Call leders pose outside the AUPSC building in Addis Ababa on 24 August - (Photo ST)

Ibrahim Mahmoud Hamid, who is also the deputy chairman of the ruling National Congress Party (NCP), said the meeting had been organized by Uganda's representative to the AUPSC. Describing the move as a ‘unilateral act', Hamid further stressed that it set a precedent for violating the AU charter.

He said the Sudanese government had officially demanded an explanation.

In an interview with the Turkish news agency Anadolu published Monday, Hamid said that the AUPSC's meeting with the rebel and opposition groups would have “negative repercussions as manifested by dealing with rebel and hardline groups that are playing havoc with peace in many countries.”

Sudanese opposition leaders held a meeting with AUPSC on August 24, on the eve of a session during which the 15-member body heard a report by Thabo Mbeki on his efforts to facilitate the dialogue process in Sudan.

At the conclusion of that session, the Council called for a national dialogue preparatory meeting on the issues related to the process and procedures between the government and the opposition groups in Addis Ababa.

Among those who attended that meeting were al-Sadig al-Mahdi, Head of the National Umma Party, and Malik Agar, Chairman of Sudanese Revolutionary Front (SRF), a coalition of rebel groups, including three movements from western Sudan region of Darfur and the SPLM-North which is fighting the government troops in Blue Nile and South Kordofan states.

Last March Khartoum turned down an invitation by the African Union High Level Implementation Panel (AUHIP) for a pre-dialogue meeting with its rivals. That stance was read by the opposition as “backing off” from an African roadmap that the NCP had endorsed in September 2014.

Hamid denied any disagreements between his government and the AUPSC, which had mandated the AUHIP led by former South African President Thabo Mbeki to mediate between the Sudanese parties.

While describing Khartoum's relations with the AUPSC member states as ‘generally good', the Sudanese official pointed an accusing fingers at Uganda, which had strained relations with his government.

He interpreted the PSC delegate's absence from the hearing of the opposition groups as an indication that the meeting ‘was not official”. However, he called for “denouncing this precedent which can open the doors for armed rebels and terrorist organizations to have access to the African Union premises”.

The African Union is trying to rescue a faltering dialogue launched by President al-Bashir early last year, but was boycotted by the major political and armed opposition groups, in protest against al-Bashir's rejection of their preconditions.

In August 2014 the AU extended the mandate of the AUHIP and tasked it with the facilitation of the dialogue process, in addition to his mediation between Khartoum and Juba, and between Khartoum and the SPLM-N rebels.

The opposition groups say they are not opposed to holding the dialogue inside the Sudan. However, they are insisting that a pre-dialogue meeting be held abroad, under an African patronage, to create conducive environment for the dialogue.

On its part, Khartoum is still insisting that any discussions related to the political process should be held inside the Sudan and offered to guarantee the safety of the rebel leaders in case they accept to attend.

At its meeting on August 25, the AUPSC allowed mediator Mbeki 90 days to file a report on ‘the engagement of all Sudanese stakeholders in the efforts to hold serious, all-encompassing national dialogue as contemplated in the road map'.

(ST)

September 7, 2015 (KHARTOUM) - Sudan's government has distanced itself from the arrest of the Sudanese journalist, Waleed al-Hussein al-Dood who was detained by the Saudi authorities more than a month ago.

Al-Rakoba website logo

According to the Sudanese non-governmental Journalists for Human Rights (JHR) network, al-Dood, founder of the independent news website Al-Rakoba, was taken by security agents on July 23rd from his home in the city of al-Khobar and was transferred to the city of Dammam.

Rights groups and activists are concerned that Khartoum was behind al-Dood's arrest and that Riyadh could actually send him back to his home country.

However, Sudan's ambassador to Riyadh, Abdel-Hafiz Ibrahim, told Al-Sudani newspaper on Monday that the Sudanese government has nothing to do with the detention of al-Dood.

“There is no coordination between the Sudanese and the Saudi authorities on extraditing Waleed al-Hussein,” he added.

He added that al-Dood was arrested for violating regulation and laws of the Saudi Kingdom.

It is worth mentioning that JHR pointed out that al-Dood told his family that he is being well-treated and that his immigration status is not in question.

Meanwhile, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) coordinator for the Middle East, Munir Zaarour, has asked Sudan's Jorunalists Union (SJU) about al-Dood's conditions.

In a phone conversation, he demanded the secretary of freedoms at the SJU, Mohamed Abdel-Gadir, to seek to release al-Dood or bring him to a fair trial if he had violated the law.

But SJU's secretary of membership affairs, Merghani Younis, told the SudaniNet website that al-Dood is not a member of the SJU, saying he might be a blogger but not a registered journalist.

He pointed to ongoing efforts to establish a council for rationing and organizing internet blogging and providing the necessary legislations and controls.

The editorial board of Al-Rakoba has called upon the Saudi authorities to release al-Dood , asking them not to send him back to Sudan and to allow him to select another country if the Kingdom decided to expel him.

Al-Rakoba started off in 2005 as a discussion forum but has eventually transformed into a news website that carries stories and op-eds that are fiercely critical of the Sudanese government.

The website has attracted wide readership even inside Sudan despite intermittent government moves to block it.

(ST)

September 7, 2015 (KHARTOUM) -The Sudanese government has announced that the foreign minister, Ibrahim Ghandour, will head its delegation to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) meetings late this month in New York.

United Nations Headquarters (UN Photo)

Last Month, Sudan's deputy UN ambassador Hassan Hamid Hassan affirmed that president Omer Hassan al-Bashir would lead Sudan's delegation to the UN annual meeting dedicated this year to sustainable development.

Also, Bashir's name appeared on a provisional list of speakers at the summit but several Sudanese officials said in subsequent statements that the government has yet to decide on his participation in the meeting.

A senior Sudanese diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Sudan Tribune Monday that Ghandour would head Sudan's delegation to the summit which will convene on September 19 th. He added that the delegation will be comprised of nine members.

He said the delegation intends to bring up several issues in the UNGA meetings including the economic sanctions imposed by the United States on Sudan and maintaining its name on the list of countries sponsoring terrorism besides the arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) against Bashir and several other Sudanese officials.

Sudan is on the US list of countries supporting terrorism since 1993 and also subjected to economic sanctions since 1997.

According to the diplomat, those issues will be discussed with several regional and international blocs and organizations within the UN including the Arab ministers, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), the non-aligned countries and the Group of 77.

“Sudan will seek to mobilize support for its position regarding those issues in the UN,” he added.

The senior diplomat stressed that Africa's foreign ministers would lead intensive moves on the sidelines of the UNGA meetings to promote the African Union (AU) decision ordering member states not to cooperate with the ICC.

The Sudanese president closely escaped being arrested and being turned over to the ICC while attending an AU summit in Johannesburg last June.

Bashir's attendance drew widespread controversy both inside and outside South Africa given his status as an individual wanted by the ICC for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide allegedly committed in Darfur since 2003.

(ST)

September 7, 2015 (JUBA) – South Sudan's government has hired war-planes from the government of neighbouring Uganda and have continued to bomb rebel held positions, defending the action as a move to regain territories from the rebels and push them farther in order to secure airport in the oil-rich Upper Nile state's capital, Malakal.

Soldiers from the South Sudan army (SPLA) patrol the streets in the Upper Nile state capital, Malakal, on 21 January 2014 (Photo: AFP/Charles Lomodong)

A senior official of the government said the air strikes and ground attacks against positions of the rebels was to secure the route government hired planes take when landing in Malakal, saying this was to minimize danger to planes passing over rebel-held territories.

“Fighting jets conducted air strikes on the rebel positions west of Malakal airport on Sunday and again Monday. The rebels are occupying the west bank on the other side of the Nile River. The landing aircrafts pass over these places which are occupied by the rebels. To secure the landing of these aircrafts, you must be sure of the safety of the aircrafts, crew members and the passengers,” a national cabinet minister told Sudan Tribune under the cover of anonymity on Monday.

The official who defended the activities of the government forces claimed opposition forces were hostile to aircrafts passing over the areas under their territories to land at the airport in town, saying in June, two months ago, the rebels shot at UNMISS aircraft carrying supplies, mistaking it to be government's hired plane that carried troops to the frontline.

“Last time they shot even at UNMISS plane which has no government officials. From the information we obtained during the clearance, the UNMISs told us it was to be used for normal supplies of non-military items. It was the forces of Johnson Olony and the rebels of Riek Machar which carried out this attack in June. This is the mistake which cannot be allowed to repeat itself if there is a way to do that,” he said in defense of the attacks on rebels.

The attacks on positions held by the armed opposition forces on the west bank of the River Nile with helicopter gunships launched from Malakal airport have allegedly caused damage to the runway and delayed the use of the airport by the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) in ferrying supplies, officials and residents said on Monday.

In Juba, South Sudan has also directed UNMISS not to be using Juba airport in the evening hours, allegedly to allow helicopters to do some exercise, but officials close to the decision making said this was to conceal the movement of attack helicopters from Juba to Malakal in the evening hours.

Multiple residents and eyewitnesses of Malakal town told Sudan Tribune on Monday during a series of interviews that the air attacks were carried out as part of preparations to facilitate the movement of the government forces to cross the Nile River using gunboats with amphibian tanks and other heavy weapons. This is to attack the opposition held territories in the west bank of the Nile despite government claims of commitment to full implementation of the ceasefire, they claimed.

Officials in Malakal said citizens have confused because the national government in Juba continued to launch attacks against the rebels while at the same time senior officials speak publicly of respect to ceasefire and implementation of the peace agreement.

“People are confused as to what is happening. The national government in Juba is talking about ceasefire and commitment to the full implementation of the peace agreement which the president has signed with the rebels to end the conflict, yet the area has been witnessing military confrontations,” a state government official told Sudan Tribune from Malakal town.

The government forces on Thursday and Friday last week , according to the source and confirmed by multiple military sources, crossed the Nile River to the west bank of Malakal airport on the side of the river in violation of the ceasefire. They are presently occupying two strategic positions in Alelo and Ditang previously held by the opposition forces before the ceasefire was declared on 29 August.

The objective of crossing to the other side of the river, sources say, is to secure the airport for airplanes landing in town with returning senior government officials from Juba and elsewhere in the state.

Colonel Philip Aguer, spokesperson of the South Sudan army (SPLA), said he was not aware of the development and called on the United States and the United Nations to fill the gap created by lack of monitoring mechanisms.

The military officer cited a statement issued by the chief of general staff of the government forces, Paul Malong Awan, as evidence of the commitment of the government forces to observe ceasefire.

“The statement issued by the chief of general staff calling on the United States and the United Nations to fill the gap created by lack of monitoring mechanism shows the commitment of the army command. The essence of the statement is that if there is any independent body to monitor the ceasefire the army is ready and welcoming anybody that will fill the gap to assure the transparency in the implementation of the ceasefire. On our side, we have complied,” Aguer told reporters on Monday.

However, early this week, Aguer appeared on South Sudan TV (SSTV), saying that government attack helicopters will escort war barges that cross rebel controlled territories in Unity and Jonglei states in their movement to Upper Nile state.

The accusation of attack of the government forces on rebel positions came a day after president Salva Kiir admitted that his forces had been violating the ceasefire and warned of punitive measures against any military officer who would not comply with his orders instructing the army's chief of general staff to observe the ceasefire.

President Kiir's comments hinted a division within his government over the peace agreement as some senior political and military officials have defied his orders while the president seems to be reluctant to act to discipline the officers he did not mention by name.

MONDAY ATTACKS

South Sudan's armed opposition led by former vice president, Machar, said government forces in the fifth consecutive days had attacked their base on Monday morning in violation of the ceasefire.

“Today around 11:00 am, the government forces launched counter military assaults on our position in Warjuok in Upper Nile state. The heavy shelling started this morning followed by a raid from infantry forces from the SPLA/Juba faction on our bases,” partly reads a statement issued on Monday by the rebels military spokesman, Colonel William Gatjiath Deng.

“This move came after the two Ugandan helicopters gunships used by South Sudan government had dropped random explosives and chemicals on our positions in Panyinkang, Tunja and Nyijuat Payam at 12pm yesterday. Today, the infantry forces were sent to dislodge our forces in the said mentioned areas,” he added.

He said the ceasefire violations demonstrated lack of commitment to peace by the government.

(ST)

September 6, 2015 (BOR) - The ministry of youth and culture in South Sudan's Jonglei state has organised a public awareness campaign on the newly-signed peace agreement, starting from 7 September.

Musicians performing in Jonglei capital Bor on September 6, 2015 (ST)

A number of musical concerts have been lined up for all citizens, including the internally displaced persons at United Nations bases, the head of Jonglei Arts and Music Association, Mach Samuel, said.

Last week, the state governor, John Kong urged citizens to welcome the peace deal signed between government and the armed opposition.

“Our team had been going to Addis Ababa for peace negotiation, Mr. [Michael] Makuei always talked about peace being in the corner, that corner has now been reached. It is not any longer in the corner; it is now with us here. Today, we have peace”, said Kong.

“Every problem at the house level, needs time to be solved, someone must sit in the middle to bring peace between two parties”, he added.

South Sudan president Salva Kiir on signed on 26 August the peace deal, despite a number of reservations to the long-awaited accord.
According to the governor, the Juba government was in the negotiation process “cheated” by the regional chief mediator, Seyoum Mesfin.

“When the IGAD [Intergovernmental Authority on Development] member states met in Uganda, they agreed to amend areas of major contentions, including demilitarisation of Juba, reduction of the period of two separate armies and on, the amendment was good,. When the amended document was presented to chief negotiator, he turned it down”, Kong told hundreds of citizens in Bor.

In any agreement, he said, the conflicting parties must first sign the document before witnesses or observers are allowed to do the same.

“But this was not the case with our peace deal. It was done in a way that was not right”, said the governor, who also accused the regional bloc of blocked all political parties allied to government.

BLAMES IGAD MEDIATORS

Kong further claimed the regional bloc and the international community wanted to remove the South Sudanese government and replace it with a government that “would dance to their tune”.

He also attacked South Sudan's ruling party secretary general, Pagan Amum and the country's former political detainees as people who are “power hungry [and] switching sides to grab opportunities”.

“You saw and heard on TV [television] what Pagan said, when he was reinstated as SPLM secretary after the Arusha Agreement. He said from today, there are no more former detainees or G-10. We are all SPLM”, Kong reminded the population during his address.

He added, “But when Pagan went to Addis Ababa as SPLM, he turned to be a former detainee and signed on their behalf and not as SPLM. They dishonored the Arusha Agreement”.

Several analysts, however, say the new peace deal will end months of conflict in the country, despite reservations from government.

(ST)

September 5, 2015 (JUBA) -The cabinet in South Sudan passed on Friday two administrative decisions, endorsing the formation of a high level committee to oversee implementation of the peace deal recently signed to end months of conflict in the nation.

South Sudan cabinet in session September 1, 2012 (file/photo ST)

Also unanimously approved was a resolution applauding President Salva Kiir's decision to sign the compromise peace agreement with the armed opposition faction led by his former deputy-turned rebel leader, Riek Machar, despite raising serious reservations.

The same peace agreement was also signed by Pagan Amum, South Sudan's ruling party (SPLM) secretary general, who represented the country's former political detainees.

Analysts say Kiir was intending to reject the deal after allegedly coming under pressure from some government officials who felt some provisions in the accord interfered with the country's sovereignty, but rescinded his decision following threats of sanctions.

South Sudan's information minister, Michael Makuei Lueth told reporters that the cabinet had resolved to endorse an earlier resolution of the council of ministers chaired by the incumbent vice president, applauding the decision of the president to sign the deal and agreed to form a high level committee to oversee the implementation of the deal.

“The council has resolved that the president should appoint a high level committee to oversee the implementation of the agreement on the resolution of the conflict in the republic of South Sudan. The members said that the mistakes of the CPA (Comprehensive Peace Agreement) should not be repeated in this agreement. The CPA did not have a committee tasked to oversee the implementation", he said on Friday.

Lueth, also the government spokesperson, urged the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) to facilitate the implementation of the deal, claiming the regional bloc had placed itself at the centre of the decision making process and implementation.

“IGAD should not drag their feet. They should come out and facilitate the implementation of this agreement because it has been designed in such a way that it places the IGAD at the centre of decision making process and in the implementation of the agreement itself unlike the CPA which gave the parties a complete responsibility to implement the agreement by themselves”, the minister told the state-owned SSTV.

Analysts view the call on IGAD to facilitate the implementation of the peace accord to mean government's lack of financial resources to handle it, given the fact that it ahas been unable to secure loans to close a persistent monthly budget deficit of $200m.

(ST)

September 6, 2015 (ADDIS ABABA) – South Sudan's armed opposition faction of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM-IO) led by the country's former vice president, Riek Machar, said they have submitted a letter of protest to the East African regional bloc, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), over continues violations of ceasefire by president Salva Kiir's government.

SPLA soldiers sit at the back of a pick-up truck in Malakal, Upper Nile state January 12, 2014. (Photo Reuters/Andreea Campeanu)

The opposition said government's forces and helicopter gunships have continued to carry out attacks on their positions in the country's oil-rich states of Upper Nile and Unity, which will be governed by the SPLM-IO in accordance with the peace agreement.

“We have submitted a letter of protest to IGAD mediation over these ceasefire violations by the regime in Juba,” Machar's spokesman, James Gatdet Dak, told Sudan Tribune when contacted on Sunday.

He accused the government of lacking political will of commitment to respecting the ceasefire declared on 29 August and implementing the peace deal they signed on 26 August.

“For the past four days, government forces have been attacking our bases in Upper Nile state, to the west bank of the River Nile near Malakal, using ground troops backed by helicopter gunships. They have also moved out from Unity state's capital, Bentiu, and begun to attack our bases near Nhialdiu. These are serious violations,” he said.

Dak denied government claims that the rebels had been delaying the conduct of the workshop on the ceasefire arrangements scheduled in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, saying the leadership had already selected senior military officers to take part in the workshop after ratifying the peace agreement beginning on Tuesday.

He said it was important to first ratify the peace deal in accordance with the provisions of the accord itself before implementation of other provisions kicked in.

Dak argued that in the peace agreement, the declaration and respect of the permanent ceasefire came first followed by ratification of the peace agreement and then the ceasefire workshop and so forth.

He accused the government of violating the very ceasefire which should be respected first before the workshop in Addis Ababa.

In a separate statement, SPLA-IO military spokesperson, Colonel William Gatjiath Deng, also claimed that continued attacks by president Kiir's forces on rebel positions took place on Sunday in Upper Nile state, alleging that Ugandan helicopters took part in the attack.

“This afternoon at 12:00AM, two Ugandan helicopter gunships used by the government of South Sudan continuing aerial bombardment at our bases in Panyikang county, Tonga and Nyijuat payam in Upper Nile state. They are targeting both military and local civilian population around. The SPLA/Juba faction is continuing making random shooting at civilians and burns some villages nearby,” said Col. Deng in a statement extended to Sudan Tribune on Sunday.

President Kiir in his remarks during a meeting on Sunday with a tribal Jieng [Dinka] Council of Elders admitted that his army violated the ceasefire, but blamed it on undisciplined officers, warning them of punitive actions unless they respected his ceasefire orders.

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) in New York has been discussing a US-led draft sanctions on individuals in the parties or party which is seen to be violating the ceasefire and spoiling implementation of the deal. The sanctions would include assets freeze, travel bans and arms embargo, among others.

(ST)

September 6, 2015 (KHARTOUM) – The national dialogue commission known as 7 +7 has indicated that it is open to holding a preparatory dialogue meeting in Addis Ababa which was requested by the African Union Peace and Security Council (AUPSC) but under certain conditions.

3rd meeting of the national dialogue national assembly in Khartoum on Thursday 20 August 2015 (Photo - SUNA)

Last August, AUPSC invited the government and the opposition to a meeting at the AU headquarters in preparation for a comprehensive national dialogue but the government vehemently refuses to hold any round of dialogue abroad.

President Omer al-Bashir affirmed this position during a town hall with Sudanese expatriates in China last Friday saying there is no way dialogue will be moved out of Sudan. He assured that the government will provide sufficient guarantees for rebels to participate.

This position is shared also by the opposition Popular Congress Party (PCP) of Hassan al-Turabi which has grown closer to the ruling party since last year and after declaring its inability to topple the regime.

But today, the supreme coordinating mechanism of the National Dialogue said it agreed to such a conference but with the presence of rebels only and stressed that discussions then will be confined to guarantees that can be offered to them to join the dialogue inside Sudan.

A member of the mechanism by the name of Osman Abu al-Magd read a statement on this new position and expressed disappointment that rebels have not responded positively to the dialogue invitation since it was initiated in January 2014.

He said the mechanism appreciates the efforts of the AU High-Level mechanism headed by Thabo Mbeki towards achieving peace and stability in Sudan and its support for dialogue.

Abu al-Magd called on the AU to intensify its efforts in support of dialogue especially with the armed movements.

The relationship between Khartoum and the AU became strained after the AUPSC organized a hearing for the opposition "Sudan Call" forces on August 24th which led the former to condemn the move and describe it as "outrageous initiative” declaring its refusal for any foreign involvement in the process.

The AUPSC also issued a decision demanding that the government and rebels declare a ceasefire in Darfur, South Kordofan and Blue Nile.

Bashir launched the national dialogue initiative more than a year and a half ago in which he urged opposition parties and rebels alike to join the dialogue table to discuss all the pressing issues.

But the initiative faced serious setbacks after the government refusal to create suitable atmosphere by releasing political prisoners, ensuring freedoms, and postponement of elections.

This prompted several parties and groups to withdraw from the process such as the heavyweight National Umma Party (NUP) led by al-Sadiq al-Mahdi.

In a related issue, the government sponsored Sudanese Media Centre (SMC) website reported that dissidents from the Sudan Liberation Movement of Minni Minnawi (SLM-MM) decided to participate in the national dialogue convention due to start in October.

The Vice chairman of the Leadership Council of the defecting group Adam Saleh Abakr told SMC that they categorically reject the AUPSC decision on pre-dialogue meeting in Addis Ababa.

Abakr disclosed that their efforts on persuading their peers to join the national dialogue have come a long way and will end with the participation of heavyweight figures soon.

(ST)

September 6, 2015 (NYALA) – Governor of South Darfur State Adam al-Faki Mohamed has announced that the state of emergency that has been in place since August 2014 will be lifted in the next three months, due to improvement in security conditions.

A Sudanese military tank is stationed near a security facility in South Darfur capital Nyala on 4 July 2013 (Photo: Getty Images)

Mohamed said in a press statement on Sunday that his Government will take pre-emptive measures that will include arresting the remaining outlaws still at large.

He disclosed that those outlaws that had been arrested under the emergency law will be dispatched to the prisons of Port Sudan, Red Sea State, to stand trial there. “Expulsion of criminals outside the State is a well-deserved punishment for those who tamper with the safety and security of citizens,” he noted.

The governor said the significant improvement in security conditions, following the arrest of 80% of the criminal gangs, had tempted them to consider lifting the state of emergency.

“The recent security measures have resulted in a sharp decline in crimes,” he added, noting that the incidents that occasionally take place are small criminal acts.

He further said the state of emergency had been a heavy burden on citizens, crippling their movement.

“This is against human rights,” he stressed.

Nyala, the State capital, was the scene of a brutal murder crime last Monday when armed men shot to death three citizens while walking around in al-Salam neighborhood around 10 pm.

Security forces laid hands on three suspects in connection with the crime.

The South Darfur State had imposed the state of emergency in August 2014 following a sharp deterioration in security, and the city saw frequent looting, murder and kidnapping incidents in downtown.

As part of those measures, a curfew was imposed from 10pm and vehicles with no number plates were banned.

(ST)

September 6, 2015 (JUBA) - South Sudanese government said Sunday it was reaching out for assistances from the government of neighbouring Sudan from which the young nation seceded in 2011, to help implement the regionally brokered and internationally backed peace deal with armed opposition under the leadership of former vice president, Riek Machar.

South Sudanese president Salva Kiir (L) and his Sudanese counterpart, Omer Hassan al-Bashir, attend a press conference at Khartoum airport on 4 November 2014 (Photo: AFP/Ashraf Shazly)

South Sudan's foreign minister, Barnaba Marial Benjamin, on Sunday said Russian foreign ministry will organize a meeting between Sudanese and South Sudanese foreign ministers to discuss ways to support the implementation of the deal.

“We are also asking the region, particularly those countries which have played a significant role in the mediation of the resolution of the conflict to stand with us and provide their support in any capacity. We expect Sudan as one of the countries which played a very important role in the mediation to play another positive role in the implementation,” Marial said in an exclusive interview with Sudan Tribune on Sunday.

The government, he added, affirmed full commitment to implementing the compromise peace agreement, despite reservations and called on the people to stand with the president Salva Kiir who signed the deal on 26 August.

Marial said he received an invitation from the government of Russia to travel to Moscow for a discussion on bilateral relations with Sudan on matters related to cooperation agreement and implementation of the peace deal.

“Our relations with Russia have been recording tremendous movement towards developing strategic relations and both of us would like to build on this beginning for the benefits of our people and the two countries in number of areas,” he said.

He described the role of Russia in trying to reconcile the views of the two countries on a wide range of post secession issues as “act of a very important friend.”

The top diplomat revealed the meeting between him and Sudanese minister of foreign affairs, Ibrahim Ghandour, was being arranged by the Russian minister of foreign affairs of Russia, Seje Labrov.

The meeting, according to him, will be held for two days from 9 - 11 September during which the discussions will be moderated by the hosting official on a wide range of post secession issues.

One of the issues he expected to be discussed is how the government of Sudan would help in the implementation of the recently signed peace agreement with the rebels.

Russia is the chair of the United Nations Security Council this month of September and urged the two parties to respect the ceasefire or face sanctions.

(ST)

September 6, 2015 (KHARTOUM) - Sudan's foreign ministry said its mission in Geneva is making intensive efforts to abort moves by the United States at the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) to relegate Sudan to agenda item 4 which means that human rights situation in the country requires the world's attention and monitoring.

A general view of participants during the 29th Regular Session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva on 3 July 2015 - (UN Photo)

Sudan's foreign ministry spokesperson, Ali al-Sadiq, has vehemently criticized Washington for seeking to move Sudan back to agenda item 4, stressing that Sudan's mission in Geneva would coordinate with the friendly nations within the UNHRC to resist the U.S. attempts.

“This is not the first time that some western countries target Sudan and seek to move it back to the square of trusteeship,” he told reporters on Sunday.

Al-Sadiq stressed that Sudan and its allies are capable of refuting any claim by the U.S., pointing to efforts made by the government to improve human rights conditions “away from the misleading fallacies by parties hostile to Sudan”.

In November 2013 the then Sudanese foreign minister Ali Karti offered rare praise of the U.S. disclosing that it had played a significant role in the UNHRC's resolution which kept Sudan under agenda item 10 of technical assistance for another year, despite attempts by some parties to move Sudan back to agenda item 4 of monitoring.

Last week, media reports said that Washington has embarked on moves within the UNHRC to move Sudan back to agenda item 4 which allows intervention under chapter 7 of the UN charter.

The US representative announced during a procedural session at the UNHRC that his country intends to lodge a draft resolution to relegate Sudan to agenda item 4 which provides for appointing a special rapporteur for human rights in the country.

Observers say that Washington's move was intended to put pressure on Khartoum particularly as agenda item 4 allows for international intervention in the country's internal affairs on issues pertaining to human rights.

It is worth mentioning that recent reports of international rights groups including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have accused the Sudanese army and its allied militias of committing war crimes in the conflicts areas.

This week, a Sudanese rights group, the African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies (ACJPS) sent a letter to the members and observer states of the UN Human Rights Council saying that human rights situation in Sudan continue to deteriorate, and marked by harsh political repression and continued impunity.

"Over the past four years in Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile, the Sudanese government has engaged in indiscriminate and targeted aerial bombardment of civilian areas, killing and wounding hundreds, if not thousands, of civilians," said the ACJPS.

The group further urged the different delegations "to support the development and adoption of a strong and responsive resolution on Sudan under agenda Item 4 at the 30th session of the Human Rights Council in September".

(ST)

September 6, 2015 (JUBA) - South Sudanese president Salva Kiir has unexpectedly warned officers of the army of punitive actions against them if they continued to violate ceasefire in the peace agreement he signed on 26 August with the former vice president, Riek Machar, revealing that there are some of his officers whose actions aimed at derailing the peace deal by taking advantage of reservations of his government over the accord.

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

He said people who pretended to be loyal to him and his government were behind the ceasefire violations.

“There are people who want to take advantage of our genuine concerns and reservations. They are pretending to be conducting themselves as nationalists and they aren't acting with loyalty. These people are coming out, and any officer, no matter what position of service, showing lack of discipline will have to answer,” president Kiir told a tribal Jieng [Dinka] Council of Elders on Sunday.

“We have signed the peace [agreement] and we have to show our commitment, so that we are not portrayed as not interested in ending this war. They want to turn our people against us. We have to observe ceasefire requirements,” said the head of state in his first public reaction on ceasefire violations.

President Kiir made the comments admitting sabotage by some of his officers two days after the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) reported that government's attack helicopters attacked rebel positions on the west bank of the Nile near Malakal, capital of the oil-rich Upper Nile state.

Also the armed opposition faction of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM-IO) led by former vice president, Machar, alleged that they destroyed a number of war barges and gunboats which attacked their positions.

However, government spokesman, Michael Makuei Lueth, in an indirect refusal of the claim said one of the war barges exploded when a careless soldier lit a cigarette causing the explosion.

But president Kiir in his remarks said the barges came under attack by the rebel forces when they attempted to cross opposition controlled areas in Jonglei and Unity states.

US secretary of state, John Kerry, also called the South Sudanese leader on phone on Thursday, urging him to order forces to stop attacking rebel positions.

Kiir also told members of the Dinka elders, his tribesmen that the world was working to isolate his government unless they abided by the ceasefire and fully implement the peace deal with the armed opposition faction led by Machar.

“There are people in this country and in the region who are working to isolate us from our people by portraying themselves to be the ones who care about them and they are the ones who feel the suffering of our people more than us whom they have elected,” he further lamented.

“That was why they designed the peace [agreement] in the way that if we reject, they then go around the world and say look, they have rejected to sign the peace to stop the war and continue to claim they represent the people they have refused to stop the war and to end the suffering of their people,” he added.

The president, according to a presidential aide, made the remarks at his residence on Sunday during a meeting with some members of the Dinka council of elders who visited him to update him on the outcome of the meeting they held on Saturday where they discussed how they could reconcile and harmonise with the president their views which opposed key provisions in the peace deal.

President Kiir faces a division within his government as some senior political and army officials have been rejecting and criticizing the peace deal, with fears that they could be the ones that encourage ceasefire violations to try to spoil the implementation of the IGAD Plus compromise agreement.

United Nations Security Council is working on a US-led draft of sanctions that would be imposed on party seen to be violating the ceasefire or spoil implementation of the peace agreement.

Observers say Juba made a diplomatic mistake when president Kiir refused to comply with the 17 August deadline to sign the IGAD compromise peace agreement, making him a troublemaker in the eyes of the international community, while the opposition leader, Machar, came out as peace maker and earned respect in won the diplomatic manoeuver when he complied and signed the agreement unilaterally.

(ST)

September 6, 2015 (KHARTOUM) - Sudan's interior ministry and police officials from the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) on Sunday have discussed the situation in the contested area of Abyei.

Ethiopian peacekeepers patrol the outskirts of the disputed Abyei town that straddles the border between Sudan and South Sudan on 16 September 2013 (Photo: Reuters/Andreea Campeanu)

The deputy director-general of police, Lieut. General Omer Mohamed Ali has discussed with the UNISFA senior police adviser, Mohamed Suraji, the security situation in Abyei in the presence of the Abyei dossier official at Sudan's police, Maj. General Salah al-Din Nur al-Dai'm, and the head of the general-directorate of international relations, Maj. General Abdallah al-Amin al-Shingaiti.

The police press office has quoted Nur al-Dai'm as saying the meeting aimed to coordinate efforts and to ensure complementarity of roles between the two sides in order to achieve security and stability in the area.

He said the two sides reviewed efforts and tasks carried out by the UN Police (UNPOL) to maintain security in accordance with Abyei Protocol, adding the meeting urged all parties to speed up the establishment of the Abyei police force to carry out its functions and duties to achieve security in the region.

The South Sudanese side refuses the establishment of a joint administration and a police force in line with the 20 June 2011 agreement. Juba propose to go beyond this deal and hold the referendum on the future of the region.

However, the police official added the two sides agreed to establish a link between Sudan's police and the UNPOL in Abyei to control any security breaches in the area.

According to Nur al-Dai'm, Sudan's police promised to provide assistance to the UNPOL at the federal and state levels in order to carry out its duties.

Abyei was scheduled to hold a referendum to determine the fate of the border region in January 2011. However the vote was suspended because the two countries continue to disagree over the participation of the Misseriya nomads in the process.

UNISFA's establishment came after the government of Sudan and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) reached an agreement in Addis Ababa, to demilitarize Abyei and let Ethiopian troops to monitor the area.

Composed mainly of Ethiopian troops, the 5,000 strong force was established following the seizure of Abyei by the Sudanese army in May 2011 after clashes with the southern army (SPLA) in the area.

The operation has been tasked with monitoring the flashpoint border between north and south and facilitating the delivery of humanitarian aid, and is authorized to use force in protecting civilians and humanitarian workers in Abyei.

(ST)

September 5, 2015 (JUBA) - South Sudan's president, Salva Kiir told the United States Secretary of State, John Kerry that "spoilers" could take advantage of the absence of a joint command council of senior military officers of the rival forces and derail the swift implementation of the peace agreement brokered by regional and international players.

South Sudan President Salva Kiir voices his reservations before signing a peace deal in the capital Juba, South Sudan Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2015. (Photo AP/Jason Patinkin)

"Yesterday [Thursday] John Kerry called me and said they are very concerns that our forces are not respecting the ceasefire. I told him I have declared a permanent ceasefire and our forces have been given clear instructions to respect the ceasefire and they have complied. The reports of violations in the media are committed by the rebels," an aide quoted the South Sudanese leader telling the country's vice-president, James Wani Igga.

The rebels, Kiir claimed, attacked dispatched barges before the ceasefire was declared.

"They have been attacking these barges going to their initial destination. They were going to Malakal with normal supplies but the forces of Riek Machar attacked them and they only fought back in self-defense, but now these forces have been recalled”, he added.

President Kiir, his aide said, told Kerry he was committed to the full implementation of the deal, but reportedly feared such efforts could be derailed if a joint command was not immediately established to carry out monitoring and verification mechanisms on ground.

The official admitted Kiir was aware of the presence of some elements in his cabinet and in the army who are opposed to the deal, citing the army chief of staff, Paul Malong, who reportedly defiantly and disrespected the president at a consultative meeting held in Juba.

"Yes, it is true this incident occurred but it has been resolved. You know we are humans and there are times when it becomes difficult to control our emotions. This was what happened”, he said.

Another leading member of South Sudan's ruling party loyal to president Kiir admitted there were different views about the peace deal, but that they were being persuaded to forego their views and support the decision of the president to implement the accord.

"It is evident that the peace process has divided our people and even the armed forces", said the senior official, who declined to be named citing fear of reprisal from military and security agents whose heads remain opposed to key provisions of the agreement.

Most of the military officers, their generals and security officers have, from the very start of the peace process reportedly received every single step with suspicions and mistrust.

There is another group, probably a minority, of military personnel who, in fact, have openly declared them to be enemies of the peace process, he told Sudan Tribune.

But president Kiir, according to the information minister, Michael Makuei Lueth, said his government was forced by overwhelming global pressure to sign the deal because there were no options left since his political and economic allies and friends in the region were also overwhelmed with the international pressure on them owing to the nation's conflict.

Lueth told the state-owned SSTV Friday that the president made the remarks while addressing the council of ministers' meeting he chaired after signing the deal on 26 August.

(ST)

September 5, 2015 (KHARTOUM) - The Food Programme (WFP) on Friday called for an urgent support to its humanitarian air service saying they are in need of $10 million to maintain vital aid link operational in Sudan's Darfur region.

The United Nations Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) preparing to undertake a mission delivering aid. (Photo UNDP/Nicolas Meulders)

"Without the necessary financial assistance, the Programme's ability to deliver food assistance to millions of people in the region, as well as to provide the air transportation that enables aid workers to reach them, could be seriously compromised," said WFP spokesperson Bettina Luescher at a press conference in Geneva on Friday.

Luescher further said the Service is underfunded and without $9.9 million in financial support, it will have to close down by the end of September.

From January to June 2015, the UN Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) flew 20,000 aid workers to areas that were previously unreachable by other means particularly in Darfur region.

"WFP is urging donors to come forward to make sure the people in Darfur and other regions can continue to receive the assistance they need. Without the Service, people will suffer," said Luescher.

Since the beginning of this year, WFP has helped three million people in Darfur region receive badly needed food assistance.

last July Germany provided 2.5 Euros to support WFP activities in Darfur. 500,000 Euros of the German grant were allocated to the Humanitarian Air Service.

The current situation reminds a severe financial hardship the UNHAS in Darfur faced in 2008.

(ST)

September 5, 2015 (KHARTOUM) – The chairman of the Reform Now Movement (RNM) Ghazi Salah al-Din al-Attabani warned of a “decisive response” should Sudanese authorities continue imposing restrictions on his party in the wake of arrests targeting RNM members this week.

RNM leader Ghazi Salah Eddin Attabani speaks in a press conference held in Khartoum on 30 August 2015 (Photo ST)

On Saturday, RNM spokesman confirmed the release of their four members but on the condition that they report daily to the security services.

Al-Attabani had called for their release and stressed that they broke no laws adding that they are exercising their constitutionally guaranteed rights.

RNM leading figures along with their supporters arrived at the downtown bus station in Khartoum on Thursday carrying anti-government signs and loudspeakers and started making a fiery speech against the government.

Plain clothed security officers quickly stepped in and arrested four RNM members who were named as RNM chairman in Khartoum state Khaled Nouri, his deputy Ja'afar al-Sadiq, politburo member Sami Abdul-Wahab and Nagi Imam who is charge of students and youths sector in the party.

Ghazi said that authorities "arrested four brothers who carried out this symbolic work in order to draw attention to the reality of the crisis when they speak to people in a public place”.

He cautioned that RNM would respond decisively if the government continued to restrict their activities.

The former presidential adviser accused the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) of backtracking on earlier pledges related to political freedoms and creating a conducive atmosphere for the national dialogue.

RNM splintered from the NCP in October 2013 after a reform memorandum submitted to the government by prominent leaders in wake of deadly government crackdown on demonstrators protesting lifting of fuel subsidies.

(ST)

September 5, 2015 (JUBA) – The South Sudanese national football team defeated Equatorial Guinea by a single goal in its first ever competitive match played Saturday.

South Sudan national football team during a past tournament [©AFP]

A number fans interviewed by Sudan Tribune described the victory as “historic” for a country that has for several years been in conflict.

"The victory for Bright Stars by beating overwhelmingly favorites Equatorial Guinea 1-0 in their AFCON 2017 qualifying match is historic,” said James Okech.

Atak Lual, who plays for Al-Ahli Shendi in Sudan, broke the deadlock in the 51st minute. It was the first competitive match played in South Sudan and the country's first win in a major tournament.

“Fantastic win Bright Stars, you have done your country proud,” said a local media on its social media site, referring to the national team by it official name.

“Bravo brother (goal scorer) Atak Lual. You saved and served the nation and we will always continue to save and serve this nation. It ours and we must keep on giving all what it needs from us. Let's look forward to serve this country in every capacity whenever, wherever and forever,” Noble Arem Riak, an ardent fan posted on facebook.

“I am really happy for being at the stadium to witness how sports can unite us,” said another.

The Bright Stars now have three points and can qualify if they win their remaining fixtures.

According to the latest Federation of International Football Association (FIFA)- Coca-Cola world rankings, South Sudan is placed at 198 while Equatorial Guinea stands at 63.

(ST)

September 5, 2015 (JUBA) – Civilians who sought protection at the United Nations mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) base in the country's capital, Juba have been given 24 hours to leave their premises after missing the deadline set for them to register and be relocated to designated areas, the world body announced on Saturday.

People gather at a makeshift camp for displaced people at a UN compound in South Sudan's capital, Juba, on 22 December 2013 amid fears for further violence (Photo: AFP/Tony Karumba)

Of the 473 foreign nationals at the camp, 241 accepted to relocate from a protection-of-civilians (PoC) site at the mission headquarters since 27 August to locations in Juba Yambio and the Makpandu refugee settlement in the Western Equatoria state. 233 refugees, mostly from Ethiopia, Eritrea and Somalia declined to leave the compound.

"With the change in the security situation in Juba, the majority of the foreign nationals have since left UNMISS POC sites to return to their homes in the communities in Juba,” UNMISS said in a statement it issued on Saturday.

“Most of [them] have remained in the UNMISS site even though there are no longer protection concerns to justify their continued stay in the Mission's camps,” it added.

The outbreak of the conflict in South Sudan in December 2013 triggered an influx of hundreds of local and foreign nationals into UNMISS camps across the country. More than 200,000 South Sudanese are sheltering in six PoC sites established by UNMISS, including in Juba, Bor, Bentiu, Malakal abd Wau.

The UN peacekeepers are mandated to protect civilians under imminent danger in South Sudan.

“The mission wishes to emphasize that the deadline to participate in the relocation process was 1 September and there will be no extension to allow the foreign nationals to stay any longer on UNMISS premises. The PoC site where the remaining 233 foreign nationals are staying will be closed on Monday 7 September,” UNMISS stated.

UNMISS said it provided, in collaboration with other UN agencies, the foreign nationals with alternative places to which they can relocate within South Sudan. The foreign nationals were reportedly given multiple opportunities to obtain asylum-seeking certificates from the Government of the Republic of South Sudan that would enable them to remain legally in the country while their applications for refugee status are reviewed.

Those who refused the offers, it said, have to vacate the premises “immediately and peacefully.”

"Their continued stay beyond the deadline will not be condoned,” it further stressed.

Sudan Tribune was unable to reach any of the foreign nationals asked to leave the premises.

(ST)