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Le Président du Bénin, Patrice Talon, a appelé jeudi la communauté internationale à n'épargner aucun effort pour éradiquer la pauvreté de masse, dans un discours lors du débat général de l'Assemblée générale des Nations Unies.

Soulignant la bonne santé économique de son pays, le Président ivoirien, Alassane Ouattara, a déclaré jeudi vouloir mobiliser les moyens nécessaires pour réaliser les Objectifs de développement durable (ODD) et a annoncé que son pays déposerait les instruments de ratification de l'Accord de Paris sur les changements climatiques avant la fin de l'année.

Devant l'Assemblée générale des Nations Unies, le Président du Burkina Faso, Roch Marc Christian Kaboré, a affirmé que son pays avait renoué avec « les valeurs cardinales qui fondent la démocratie et l'état de droit » et a appelé à soutenir les efforts en faveur de la « recherche de la paix et de l'enracinement de la démocratie en Afrique ».

Le Président du Conseil de la présidence du gouvernement d'entente nationale de la Libye, Faiez Mustafa Serraj, a déclaré jeudi devant l'Assemblée générale des Nations Unies que l'accord politique signé par les parties libyennes demeure la solution à la crise actuelle en Libye.

Le Haut-Commissaire des Nations Unies aux droits de l'homme, Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, a émis une forte mise en garde jeudi contre la détérioration de la situation en République démocratique du Congo (RDC) et insisté sur le fait que des comptes devaient être rendus pour la mort de dizaines de civils et autres violations des droits de l'homme commises lors de la flambée de violence survenue en début de semaine.

A l'occasion d'une réunion de haut niveau sur la situation humanitaire au Soudan du Sud à New York, le Secrétaire général de l'ONU, Ban Ki-moon, a appelé jeudi à faire pression sur les parties en conflit afin de mettre fin aux violences dans ce pays.

Mercredi matin, la rumeur se répand dans tout Paris : Jacques Chirac ne serait plus. L'ancien président, murmure-t-on, aurait rendu son dernier souffle dans la nuit de mardi à mercredi, certains assurant...

« Je ne suis pas un comédien, ni un clown », jurait François Fillon fin août, en marge de sa rentrée politique à Sablé-sur-Sarthe (Sarthe). Hier soir, c'est pourtant au Cirque d'hiver à Paris (XIe) que...

C'est Bruno Le Maire, candidat à la primaire de la droite, qui a lancé cette proposition choc début septembre dans notre journal. Choc, mais assez classique. S'attaquer à cette fabrique de l'élite n'est...

Activists in northern Albania are preparing lawsuits to halt the planned construction of power plants that they say will wreck tourism in the Albanian Alps.

Vuk Jeremic has won important endorsements from respected media outlets in the UK and America - but Portugal’s candidate is still likely to win the top UN post, a Serbian expert said.

Ahead of the December 11 snap polls, Macedonia’s ruling party continues to use its old techniques to pressure voters, NGOs observing the election say.

Now the deadline for submitting election lists for October's election has expired, Montenegrin watchdogs have aired suspicions about the state's capacity to check on whether the parties' lists of supportive signatures meet the terms of the law.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is meeting the Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik in Moscow in what appears a clear sign of Kremlin support for the controversial referendum.

Les parlementaires abordent aujourd'hui, l'examen du projet de budget exercice 2017 de l'Assemblée nationale. Un budget dont le montant total s'élève à 13.448.000.000 de francs CFA pour un taux d'augmentation de 3,40%.
Les députés reprennent ce jour le chemin du palais des gouverneurs pour aborder les travaux inscrits à l'ordre du jour de la session extraordinaire ouverte lundi dernier. La séance plénière qui s'annonce pour aujourd'hui, s'inscrit dans le cadre de l'examen du projet de budget de l'institution. Un projet ayant fait l'objet d'une augmentation de 3,40% par rapport à celui de l'exercice en cours. Les avis techniques et favorables de la commission des finances ont apporté une caution au projet de budget élaboré par la commission présidée par le premier questeur, Valentin Aditi Houdé. Une commission mise en place par une décision de la première autorité de l'institution parlementaire comme l'exige les textes en vigueur. Le montant total du projet de budget est évalué à 13.448.000.000 de francs CFA. Il n'a point selon une concordance, varié outre mesure au terme de la séance des commissaires de la commission des finances, Compte tenu des lignes de crédits ouverts pour la gestion 2017. Une objectivité qui s'inscrit dans la logique des nouvelles priorités des membres du Parlement et du personnel civil et militaire.
Nicaise Azomahou

September 21, 2016 (JUBA) - South Sudanese President, Salva Kiir, has approved the establishment of up to four cantonment sites for members of the armed opposition faction of the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA-IO) in Equatoria region.

A batch of the SPLA-IO forces after arrival in Juba, 1 April, 2016 (ST Photo)

Speaking as the chief guest on Wednesday at Nyakuron Culture Center at an occasion marking the international peace day, Vice President, James Wani Igga, announced that President Kiir, as a result of good working relationship, has approved the establishment of four cantonment sites for SPLA-IO forces.

“There will be four cantonment sites in Equatoria. One cantonment site will be in Eastern Equatoria, one in Central Equatoria and another in Western Equatoria. And because of the July incidents which resulted into some SPLA-IO running into UNMISS; there will also be another one for such people. So in total, there will be four cantonment sites in Equatoria alone. This excludes Bahr el Ghazal and Upper Nile, said Igga.

“Isn't [it] a strong sign of commitment to implement peace, particularly security arrangement?” asked Igga who has been quiet for a long time since the fighting erupted at the Presidential Palace on 8 July between rival forces and appointment of his party junior officer, Taban Deng Gai, to replace Machar.

The vice president counted himself as somebody who would be among those who are ready to champion realization of peace and stability in the country, citing his personal decision to step down from his position twice.

“I am not stupid as this is what others may say. I accepted to give Riek my position because I value peace. I also accept to allow Taban Deng Gai to succeed him out of respect to the agreement. It is not because I am stupid but because of the importance of peace and stability,” he said.

If there are four people pushing for realization of peace in this country at any cost, including abandoning their positions, he said, “I am one of them.”

It is not clear which SPLA-IO forces will be cantoned as the replaced Machar seems to still be in control of them and are in their controlled locations out of reach by the government.

(ST)

September 21, 2016 (RUMBEK) – At least 30 members of South Sudan's armed opposition faction (SPLM-IO) in Egypt have declared their allegiance the country's First Vice President, Taban Deng Gai.

President Salva Kiir meets SPLM-IO Chief Negotiator, Taban Deng Gai, in Juba, December 22, 2015 (ST Photo)

The group's leader in Egypt, Makeuy Nyang confirmed the move.

“We affirm our support and fully stand with the new leader of the people under the wise leadership of General Taban Deng Gai in the peace process,” said Nyang.

“We declare our support for a just peace that achieves the aspiration our people,” he stressed.

Gai was elected South Sudan's acting First Vice President in July, days after SPLM-IO chairman, Riek Machar fled the capital, Juba.

Machar described Gai's appointment as illegal and accused the latter of trying to defect to the ruling party (SPLM) led by President Salva Kiir.

(ST)

September 21, 2016 (JUBA) – United States has hinted the possibility of recalling its current Ambassador to South Sudan over the ongoing “documented” atrocities committed by the leadership of South Sudan under her watch.

Ambassador Phee presenting her credentials to President Salva Kiir on 23 July 2015 (Photo US Embassy Juba)

In a special hearing on South Sudan crisis by the United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations conducted on Tuesday in Washington DC, chaired by Senator Bob Corker, the Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, the senators registered their disappointment over the “impunity” conduct of the current U.S. Ambassador, Mary Catherine Phee.

They said the atrocities committed have been documented but with impunity involving other parties, including the ambassador.

“Yeah, the suggestion, I think recalling our Ambassador for that kind of conduct would be an appropriate response to show that we don't want to have a mission headed by an Ambassador with impunity,” said Ben Cardin, a ranking member of the Committee, in reaction to earlier suggestion to recall the Ambassador.

Bob Corker, the Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee in the Senate, in his earlier remarks, also suggested whether or not the South Sudanese President, Salva Kiir, should be declared a “war criminal” over the atrocities.

Meanwhile, Senator Cardin, said he had lost confidence in the peace process in South Sudan.

“I have lost confidence in the peace process…I don't believe the current leaders are capable of bringing their country into peace,” he said, referring to President Kiir and his new first deputy, Taban Deng.

He also described the newly appointed First Vice President, Taban Deng, as someone who has no constituency in South Sudan is not able to heal the nation.

“We haven't talked about Mr. [Taban] Deng, who I understand has no constituency. He is part of the corrupt, the corruption that has been documented. He is unpopular,” said the senior senator.

The Senators accused the South Sudanese rival leaders, Salva Kiir and Riek Machar, of committing atrocities and failing their people.

The top U.S. senator also accused president Kiir's government of war crimes and attack on his rival, Machar, in July which resulted to the recent violence in the capital, Juba.

“As this crisis erupted in July, President Kiir's forces apparently fired on U.S. diplomatic vehicles, shot and injured a U.N. official, terrorized American and other aid workers, and executed a South Sudanese journalist,” he said.

“President Kiir consolidated control after yet another contrived military action against his former deputy, Riek Machar. Kiir's recent replacement of Machar with a poorly-supported opposition alternative likely invalidates the unity government and the August 2015 peace agreement itself,” charged the top U.S. Senator.

The Senators also blamed the United Nations peace keepers in the country for not doing enough to protect civilians from the government's forces.

“Again, I don't know how many times we're going to hear of our peacekeeping efforts falling short. I know this is a unique circumstance but I believe the U.N. has been totally feckless as it relates to addressing this issue. Again, I know that these people are overstretched right now in South Sudan, but it continues to be a problem with U.N. peacekeeping troops,” he said.

Witnesses who presented their respective testimonies during the hearing include Jok Madut Jok, Co-founder and Executive Director, The Sudd Institute; The Honourable Kate Almquist Knopf, Director, Africa Center for Strategic Studies, U.S. Department of Defense; Luka Biong Deng, Global Fellow, Peace Research Institute; and Peter Yeo, President, Better World Campaign, United Nations Foundation.

The Senators warned that a Plan B would be needed to change the situation, including sanctions against leaders, imposed arms embargo as well as putting South Sudan under a trusteeship of the African Union and the United Nations.

(ST)

September 21, 2016 (KHARTOUM) - Sudan's State Minister of Interior Babiker Digna on Wednesday has said that his country is hosting more than 400,000 South Sudanese refugees.

South Sudanese refugees arrive to Sudan's white Nile state in January 2014 (Photo SUNA)

Digna, who spoke at a press conference on Wednesday in Khartoum, pointed to the difficulty of determining the exact number of the South Sudanese especially as the refugee influx still continues.

He said that southerners would only get subsidies if they were registered as refugees, pointing the refugee commission is committed to provide full support for the South Sudanese refugees.

In December 2013, Sudan's President Omer al-Bashir decided to treat South Sudanese refugees as citizens and refused establishing refugee camps for them, saying they can live and work all over Sudan.

However, earlier this month, Sudan decided to treat South Sudanese that fled the conflict in their country as refugees, enabling United Nations to provide assistance and raise funds for aid operations.

For her part, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) representative for Sudan Noriko Yoshida said they provided only 20 percent of the actual needs of the refugees, appealing for more foreign aid to help address the South Sudanese refugee crisis.

On Tuesday, Digna issued a decision banning the foreign aid groups from entering South Sudanese refugee camps in the states of East Darfur, Blue Nile and West Kordofan.

He told the pro-government Sudan Media Center (SMC) that foreign aid groups are not allowed to operate in these camps, saying assistance to South Sudanese refugees is provided by the UNHCR and the national aid groups.

On Friday, UNHCR said the number of South Sudanese refugees living in neighbouring countries has passed the one million mark.

According to the UN, as of August 31 the total number of South Sudanese in Sudan had exceeded 247 000, of which about 90 000 had arrived since January this year.

Tens of thousands of people have been killed and millions displaced in South Sudan's worst-ever outbreak of violence since it seceded from neighbouring Sudan in July 2011.

(ST)

September 21, 2016 (KHARTOUM) - Prime Minister of the Libyan Government of National Accord (GNA), Fayez al-Sarraj will visit Khartoum within the next few days, said Sudan's foreign ministry.

Libya's Prime minister-designate Fayez al-Sarraj (AFP-photo)

In a press release released on Wednesday, Sudan's Foreign Minister Ibrahim Ghandour has welcomed the upcoming visit of al-Sarraj, stressing his country's support to the Libyan GNA.

He added that Sudan would harness all its capabilities to support the Libyan people.
The press release, however, did not mention the definitive date of the arrival of the Libyan senior official.

Meanwhile, the press release pointed that Ghandour has met with his Libyan counterpart Mohamed al-Taher Sayala in New York on the sidelines of the UN General assembly meetings.

It added that the two ministers discussed the situation in Libya in light of the recent seizure of four oil-exporting facilities in the so-called oil crescent in east Libya by renegade General Khalifa Haftar's forces.

According to the press release, the Libyan Foreign Minister asked for Sudan's support to the GNA and denounced the involvement of the Darfur rebel Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) in the fighting in east Libya.

On September 10th, Libya's Oil Installation Guards, Central Branch, spokesman, Ali Al Hassi, accused JEM of participating alongside Haftar's forces in the attack against the oil facilities.

However, the political advisor to JEM's chairman, Mahgoub Hussein, denied the accusations and stressed that his movement has no presence in the Libyan territory.
He described what is going on in Libya as an “internal affair”.

The GNA, which formally came into being in March 2016, has been struggling to unify war-ridden North African nation and exert its control over its entire territory.

However, its task is complicated by the presence of a parallel government operating out of eastern Libya, backed by local militias and units of the national army loyal to Haftar.

(ST)