February 7, 2017 (JUBA) – At least two people have died as a result of hunger in South Sudan's Eastern Equatoria state, officials have said.
The incident, which reportedly occurred in Kapeota region, reflects the food security challenges facing the world's youngest nation.
Kapoeta state governor, Louis Lobong, said thousands of people have fled due to food insecurity to Uganda, amidst fear some die before reaching their destinations.
"Two women died in the way to Uganda. They were fleeing hunger in the state," Lobong said on Tuesday.
He accused humanitarian organisations of neglecting the plight of the local communities who were starving.
“The pastoral communities have gone far, crossing over to either the neighboring states or the neighboring countries because they are vulnerable, hungry, and weak. We have never seen any humanitarian agency that is coming in for any help,” Lobong told Eye Radio.
He said no food deliveries or assessment by international and local organisations have been conducted by Tuesday, repeating his request for "urgent assistance."
In a related development, Tonj state's deputy governor, Manhiem Bol said souring market commodities have spoilt the purchasing power of poor people, blaming poor harvest in 2016 farming season for the food gap.
"There is an alarming hunger situation across the state because of crops failure during the last farming season,” said Bol, calling for immediate humanitarian assistance.
"I am appealing to humanitarian organizations to also look at the issues to do with humanitarian problems in South Sudan and in Tonj in particular," he added.
The conflict that broke out in mid-December 2013 has uprooted more than two million people from their homes, forcing one million South Sudanese across borders into neighbouring nations.
(ST)
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February 7, 2017 (KHARTOUM) - Sudan authorities released the head of external office of the opposition Sudanese Congress Party (SCoP), Abdel Moneim Omer, one month after his detention at Khartoum airport.
Abdel Moneim Omer, was briefly tasked with the party's leadership during two months in November December 2016 when the Sudanese authorities detained the SCoP chairman and his deputy following calls to protest new austerity measures.
The National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) didn't filed any charges against Omer or provide any explanation for his detention.
"The party has not to welcome his release. The NISS robbed the freedom of the head of SCoP office abroad who had been arbitrarily detained without charge or trial," SCoP Vice-Chairman, Khalid Omer Youssef told Sudan Tribune.
"Our freedom is insecure as long as the security apparatus has the right to detain people whenever they want and the release them whenever they wants," he further stressed.
Rights groups call to reform the current security law of 199 and to limit the broad powers of arrest, detention, search and seizure. Also, they call to include key safeguards in the law such as the right to be immediately informed of charges, the right to be brought promptly before a judge, and the right to be tried within a reasonable time.
Omer pointed to the need to amend the National Security Forces Act of 1999 and to "dismantle the totalitarian state structure and laws that allow the NISS to arrest activists and political opponents.
The opposition parties and armed groups demand the creation of a conducive environment before to participate in a constitutional conference inside the country. According to an African Union road map the matter should be discussed within the framework of a national dialogue preparatory meeting.
Sudanese authorities arrested 32 leading members of the SCOP following the announce of austerity measures in a bid to avoid attempts to mobilise the Sudanese street against the government.
Despite the restrictions' of freedom the SCoP, which is a member of the Sudan Call forces, remains very active and organizes information campaigns, they also hold spontaneous public meetings to raise political and economic issues.
(ST)
February 7, 2017 (KAMPALA) – At least 52,000 South Sudanese fled the country into neighbouring Uganda in January alone as continued fighting risks creating a situation of mass atrocities, the United Nations special adviser on genocide prevention said Tuesday.
Adama Dieng said those displaced, mainly from Kajo-Keji in the country's Central Equatoria state gave horrific accounts on killing of civilians, destruction of homes and several cases of sexual violence.
“President Salva Kiir has made a commitment to end the violence and bring about peace, yet we still see ongoing clashes, and the risk that mass atrocities will be committed remains ever-present,” he said.
The senior U.N official said he was particularly alarmed by the situation in Kajo-Keji where fleeing civilians warned of mass violence.
South Sudan descended into war in late December 2013, leaving tens of thousands dead and over three million people displaced.
The U.N official, however, said despite the serious security situation in the country, access of the its peacekeeping mission to and around Kajo-Keji has been restricted as peacekeepers were initially blocked from accessing the area.
“The freedom of movement of residents has also reportedly been limited. Some have reportedly been instructed to leave Kajo-Keji,” Dieng said in a statement on Tuesday.
“Others who fled their homes and moved towards the border area between South Sudan and Uganda were reportedly intercepted by government forces,” he added.
According to the U.N official, some of those seeking refuge reportedly used a number of informal border crossing points to enter Uganda, as armed groups prevented the use of major roads, forcing them to travel through the bush, without access to food and water.
Various areas in the Equatorias, the U.N said, have been similarly targeted, and some 20,000 people were displaced from Wau Shilluk in Upper Nile last week, following violence that left many without emergency health care, safe drinking water, food and shelter.
In November 2016, Dieng drew attention to the dire situation in Yei River State, following his visit to Yei River town, where credible information suggested that a scorched earth campaign was underway, targeting suspected opposition members and civilian communities believed by authorities to be their supporters.
He reported the expulsion of farmers from their land, looting of property, burning of villages and brutal violence against civilians.
During the African Union summit held in Ethiopia last month, the African Union, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, and the United Nations expressed their deep concerns, in a joint statement, over the continuing spread of fighting and risk of inter-communal violence escalating into mass atrocities in South Sudan.
(ST)
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February 7, 2017 (JUBA) - South Sudan president Salva Kiir has insisted there was no other viable alternative to end the ongoing war in the country, apart from resolving existing differences through a national dialogue.
“There are people who believe in war as the only way to resolve differences, I think these are wrong. War is not the viable way to end differences. War is war and you know it is very destructive. I don't want you, the people of Yei to follow people who think the only solution to whatever issues we have in this country is through war,” said Kiir, while addressing a large gathering in S. Sudan's Yei town.
He added, “Let us work together with our religious leaders for peace”.
The president said ending the war will be an opportunity for politicians wanting to take power from him in an atmosphere free of war so that they campaign and allow the citizen to vote peacefully.
“People who want to become of this country have to accept that they cannot become the president when there is war. They need to denounce violence and stop war. When the war is stopped anyone wants to contest whichever positions he wants will be free to contest,” stressed the South Sudanese leader.
“So let's work together to stop the war and let the political forces sit down to organize themselves so that the parties are registered before time,” he added.
A huge crowd has gathered Yei town to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the existence of Episcopal Church in the area.
President Kiir also used the opportunity to announce the national dialogue initiative he declared in December last year, saying it officially starts in the first week of March and will run for four months.
The national dialogue, he said, seeks to end long civil war in Africa's newest nation.
The South Sudanese leader further reiterated that said a panel of "eminent personalities and people of consensus" would guide the national dialogue process, which would involve "all the people of South Sudan" but did not say who the panel members would be.
“The national dialogue is a matter of urgency so that we see what will be the next step. Now our members of the national legislature are on recess, they will come back in the end of this month, so when they come, we will kick off the sessions of the national dialogue”, he said.
The leader of the country's armed opposition faction, Riek Machar has, however, dismissed Kiir's dialogue initiative, saying the process can only succeed if peace has been restored in the war-torn nation.
Tens of thousands of people have been killed and millions displaced since violence broke out between the country's rival factions in mid-December 2013.
(ST)