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September 21, 2016 (JUBA) – War of words intensified in South Sudan parliament on Wednesday over the legality of abolishing the minority leader's position in with opposition politicians describing ruling party MPs as “ignorant” of legal regulations.

Onyoti Adigo Nyikec (mcclatchy)

Onyoti Adigo has been leader of the minority in parliament since 2010.

Last week, parliamentary chairman of information, Oliver Mori said the position for the leader of minority has been abolished in accordance to the peace agreement.

“We are in a transitional government of national unity and this is a transitional national legislative assembly where there is no opposition but parties working together,” said Mori to justify what he said was the decision of President Salva Kiir.

Mori said another lawmaker from the opposition political parties in the national parliament, Gabriel Rorick, has been appointed as national agenda chief whip; a coalition of political parties chaired by cabinet affairs minister, Maritn Elias Lomuro.

But Onyoti criticised Mori for failing to follow the legal procedures as outlined in the conduct of business regulations of parliament and in the transitional constitution.

“Article 71 of the transitional constitution [amended 2015] recognizes the minority leader in parliament and you cannot just wake up and declare the position null and void before you are amend the constitution,” Onyoti told reporters in Juba Tuesday.

“So I am still the legal leader of minority in parliament,” he added.

According to the August 2015 peace agreement, there will be chief whips representing various stakeholders to the agreement and no opposition. Both Mori and Onyoti agreed with this provision. However, Mori claimed Onyoti's time was up.

“That position is already abolished by the peace agreement,” he said.

Onyoti, however, rejected Mori's interpretation of the provision in the accord, saying the peace agreement and the transitional constitution have not been incorporated.

“I think they do not understand the agreement; the agreement doesn't talk of whips. The agreement talks of stakeholders,” stressed the minority leader in the assembly.

“I think those Mori and others who are saying that the position of the minority leader is abolish are ignorant about the provisions of the peace agreement, ignorant about the parliamentary conduct of business and they are ignorant of our laws," he added,

According to the peace deal, before the assembly was expanded to 400 MPs, it should have adopted the accord as the overriding legal document for the formation of the transitional national assembly. That process, however, stalled when President Kiir and former First Vice President, Riek Machar disagreed over the nomination of a speaker.

(ST)

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Forty foreign ministers and high-level officials, as well as Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations Hervé Ladsous, gathered at IPI on September 21, 2016 to review the progress made in implementing of the recommendations outlined in the report of the High-Level Independent Panel on United Nations Peace Operations (HIPPO). They also discussed key future actions by the next UN secretary-general.

The working dinner, entitled “Taking Stock, Looking to the Future: A High-Level Dialogue on United Nations Peace Operations,” was hosted jointly by IPI President Terje Rød-Larsen and the foreign ministers of Finland, Indonesia, Rwanda, and Uruguay. For the fourth-year anniversary of this event, IPI’s Brian Urquhart Center for Peace Operations prepared an infographic highlighting the status of implementation of the HIPPO, as well as recommendations for the next secretary-general and member states, moving forward.

Other attendees included the Foreign Ministers of Argentina, Ethiopia, Central African Republic, Mongolia, Niger, Liberia, Netherlands, Sierra Leone, Slovakia, as well as high-level representatives from capitals of Angola, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Denmark, Egypt, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Norway, Pakistan, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, United Kingdom, and the United States. The conversation was conducted under the Chatham House rule of non-attribution.

Member state representatives highlighted progress made in the implementation of the HIPPO, notably on the side of peacekeeping capabilities and troop pledges. They, however, recognized the need to improve the performance and preparedness of troops. While acknowledging the creation of a planning and analysis cell in the executive office of the secretary-general, participants called for better integrated and strategic analysis and planning, starting from the top of the organization. They also emphasized the need for political strategies to guide and accompany a full spectrum of truly integrated peace operations, whether carried out by the UN or in partnership with regional organizations, that can make a difference on the ground and better respond to new challenges of the 21st century, including that of asymmetric violence and terrorism.

Participants stressed shifting away from reaction and developing better, and more, prevention and mediation efforts and mechanisms. Also key, they said, was assessing root causes of conflict, as well as taking into consideration social, development and human rights aspects. They underlined that the new commitment to sustaining peace could further help in breaking the silos between the three pillars of the UN, bring more coherence to activities in the field and ensure people-centric operations. Participants, however, lamented that there had been little progress overall on women’s representation, especially in leadership positions.

The dinner concluded by acknowledging the importance of the shared responsibility of member states and the secretariat to support the implementation of the recommendations of the HIPPO, and on the need for all to keep the momentum and encourage the next secretary-general to focus on concrete actions and show leadership in addressing those outstanding challenges.

A co-chair’s summary will follow.

C’est un secret de polichinelle. Dans les établissements d’enseignement secondaire général, technique et professionnel, les usagers sont constamment victimes des actes de rançonnements de toutes sortes. Ces pratiques souvent orchestrées directement par le personnel administratif desdits établissements ou par personnes interposées  n’honorent guère l’école béninoise.

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Il y a entorse dans la conduite de la procédure judiciaire relative à l’affaire des véhicules d’occasion. C’est en tout ce que pense Me Paul Kato Atita, avocat au barreau du Bénin, dans la journée de ce mercredi  21 septembre 2016 a animé une conférence de presse à cet effet. 

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Some academics in Ghana have started a petition to take down a statue of ‘racist’ Gandhi.

Key Points A JSTARS RfP is 'on hold' while the USAF works with Congress on contract terms The USAF has been using a so-called hybrid contracting approach during the programme's EMD stage The Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (JSTARS) request for proposals (RfP) is "on hold"

Key Points The USAF is preparing to conduct experiments with light-attack aircraft that could augment its CAS capabilities Unlike the heavily armoured A-10, such an aircraft would be used only in permissive environments The US Air Force (USAF) is preparing to conduct experiments with light-attack

The US State Department has approved the sale of four KC-46A aerial refuelling aircraft, with related equipment and support, to Japan for an estimated cost of USD1.9 billion. The sale was approved under the US Foreign Military Sales programme, and includes one additional spare Pratt &Whitney

Americas

• Gen. Carlton Everhart, head of the mobility command of the USAF has said that the number of KC-46 tankers the service is set to procure by 2028 are not enough. 179 units of Boeing’s latest tanker will be delivered; however between 2028 and 2035, no KC-46s are scheduled for delivery, leaving a capability gap. To remedy the issue, Everhart suggested that the flying branch embark on a study this year for a new KC-Z aerial refueling tanker that will enter service in 2035, as well as looking into the possibility of developing a “KC-Y” tanker to fill the procurement gap.

• Development is underway at the Picatinny Arsenal, New Jersey, for a new multi-purpose grenade for the US Army. The Enhanced Tactical Multi-Purpose (ET-MP) hand grenade is being developed by the Army Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center and will provide US Army and USMC with a grenade that offers both fragmentation and blast overpressure through a flip of a switch. Fuze timing of the new grenade will be completely electronic and detonation time can be narrowed down to milliseconds. Until armed, the weapon is completely safe.

• Lockheed Martin has installed and tested its Legion Pod on a US F-15C aircraft. The disclosure revealed that a fighter from the Jacksonville Air National Guard Base in Florida has been equipped with the new pod for testing. According to Paul Lemmo, vice president of Fire Control at LM, one flight successfully saw the IRST21 infrared sensor installed at the tip of the pod “successfully track multiple airborne targets in representative scenarios.”

Middle East & North Africa

• Saudi Arabia’s Al Raha Group has successfully been awarded a USAF contract to provide support to the Saudi Arabian F-15 fleet. Valued at $355.9 million, Al Raha will provide comprehensive material management of unclassified spares, support equipment, and support services required to support base stand-ups and continued F-15 and F-15SA Royal Saudi Air Force flying operations. Work will be carried out both in Georgia, USA and in Saudi Arabia.

• US officials have blamed Russia for air strikes on aid convoys outside the Syrian city of Aleppo earlier this week, a claim Moscow denies. The incident happened just hours after a tentative week long ceasefire had ended, and resulted in the destruction of 18 of 31 aid trucks, with about 20 civilians killed including a senior official of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent.

Europe

• A deal has been signed between Latvia and Lithuania to synchronize military procurements for the two countries’ armed forces. Under the agreement, the envisioned joint procurements include deals to acquire fire-distribution centers for Lithuania’s and Latvia’s air defense, anti-tank missiles, and short-range anti-aircraft missiles. The agreement marks the latest development in the ongoing drama on NATO’s eastern region, as former-Soviet Baltic nations rush to enhance their military cooperation and boost merge defense capacities against Russia.

Asia Pacific

• Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense has dismissed claims that it has abandoned its Yun Feng ballistic missile program. Media reports had said Taipei had dropped the missile’s development in order to offer a goodwill gesture to China. The project, which was initiated in the mid-1990s, had been suspended in 2008 with media now reporting that the new administration of President Tsai Ing-wen had dropped it for good. Spokesperson Maj. Gen. Chen Chung-chi said the report was “mere speculation.”

• Iran’s establishment marked the 36th anniversary of its 1980 invasion of Iraq with a huge military parade and a warning to the US to not meddle in the affairs of the Gulf. A televised parade in Tehran yesterday saw the military display long-range missiles, tanks, and the Russian-supplied S-300 surface-to-air missile defense system, while at the port of Bandar Abbas on the Gulf, the navy showed off 500 vessels, as well as submarines and helicopters. The muscle-flexing comes in a year when US officials claim that there have been more than 30 close encounters between US and Iranian vessels in the Gulf so far, over twice as many as in the same period of 2015.

Today’s Video

South Korea’s new AH-64Es:

Le corps sans vie de Maroufou Fagbohoun, la soixantaine, a été retrouvé dans une fosse dans sa concession mercredi matin, au quartier Gbèkon-Hounlin dans la commune d'Abomey, a constaté le correspondant de l'ABP.

A la découverte du corps de Maroufou Fagbohoun, un malvoyant, les membres de sa famille et ses proches consternés dans ce drame, suppose que le défunt se serait réveillé tôt le matin pour aller aux toilettes, quand il est tombé dans une fosse ouverte dans la concession, à 10 mètres environ de sa chambre.

De son vivant, a-t-on précisé, le sieur Maroufou tâtait les murs pour se déplacer dans la concession.

Cette fosse à ciel ouvert est creusée par les fils du défunt pour servir de latrines, informe-t-on. Seulement, depuis le début des travaux, la fosse n'est pas protégée jusqu'à la survenance du drame.

ABP/IA/DKJ

The US Navy has received Northrop Grumman's first AQS-24B mine hunting sonar upgrade kits, which will be used by HM-12, -14 and -15 Mine Countermeasures Squadrons.

US Navy Secretary Ray Mabus has announced that the navy's new John Lewis-class fleet replenishment oiler, T-AO 208, will be named Robert F. Kennedy.

La nouvelle vient de tomber. Les importateurs de produits étrangers au Bénin par voie terrestre doivent trouver un nouveau moyen pour faire rentrer leurs marchandises sur le territoire national.

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Le Monde et d’autres médias appartenant au Consortium international des journalistes d’investigation ont eu accès à de nouveaux documents confidentiels, appelés « Bahamas Leaks ». Ils lèvent le voile sur l’identité des administrateurs de certaines sociétés, jusque-là anonymes, enregistrées aux Bahamas, connues comme un paradis fiscal opaque. Parmi ces administrateurs, Neelie Kroes, ancienne commissaire européenne à la Concurrence de la Commission Barroso.

(Par Roger Gbégnonvi)

Le 8 septembre 2016 à Tori-Avamê, à quelques encablures de Cotonou, sur un site bien circonscrit, les services de santé font incinérer des produits avariés préalablement aspergés de liquide inflammable. Des gens de la région se précipitent dans le trou pour récupérer les produits destinés à être brûlés. Une poche de feu, que nul n'avait vu, repart et c'est la fournaise : des morts brûlés vifs et des rescapés grièvement brûlés, dont les corps saignants sont insupportables à tout regard un peu sensible. L'horreur. Et l'on se demande quelle idée de s'introduire dans un trou pour en ressortir chargé de produits réputés nocifs à la santé et en tout cas empoisonnés par un produit inflammable.
L'on viendrait pourtant bien mal à propos de condamner ces malheureuses gens, morts carbonisés ou réchappés des flammes le corps en lambeaux. Avamê, avec ses sinistrés de circonstance, n'est jamais que l'odieuse vitrine du Bénin laxiste et permissif, gangrené par une corruption barbare, ce Bénin où femmes et hommes meurent, tués par les leurs à grand et à petit feu. En la circonstance tragique, les rescapés ont été transportés ‘‘à l'hôpital le plus proche''. Si leur corps flambé ne leur a pas enlevé la conscience des choses environnantes, ils ont dû voir des infirmiers et infirmières en plein désarroi, allant et venant, lâchant des vérités connues telles que : ‘‘Mais on n'a rien pour les soigner. Rien n'a jamais été prévu pour ça. Il n'y a même pas de compresse. Le médecin est rare depuis trois jours parce qu'il se doit aux patients de sa clinique privée…'' Choses entendues en des circonstances moins tragiques. Et il est vrai que nos hôpitaux sont souvent si démunis que le malade est prié de se munir du thermomètre devant servir à lui prendre la température. Les malades ne sont pas maltraités, on ne les conduit pas à grand feu à la mort, on les laisse y aller à petit feu, en leur faisant croire que la vie est possible. Mais faute de moyens et de personnel suffisants, on sait que seuls seront bien soignés les malades transportés en Afrique du Sud.
Et parce qu'on n'imagine pas les mamans ou les papas, fatigués, sauter dans un cratère au mépris de leur vie, on présume que les auteurs du bond suicidaire sont des jeunes gens exténués par le chômage et vivant d'expédients dans leur pays malmené. S'ils ont été scolarisés, ils n'ont rien appris ou pas grand-chose car, pour raisons de difficultés et de grèves à répétition, l'Etat a laissé valider des années scolaires de trois mois au lieu de neuf, on a rabougri d'autant les quotas horaires de cours, on a recruté des maîtres foncièrement incompétents, etc. Je-m'en-foutisme et négligences en série ont fait de ces enfants des gens qui massacrent la langue française, qu'on était censé leur enseigner, et qui bégaient la langue maternelle qu'ils n'ont jamais soignée. Et les voici spectres errants dans un Bénin qui tue son avenir à grand et à petit feu. Avenir flambé dans un trou avec des produits avariés.
Le Chef de l'Etat a promis enquête et sanctions suite au drame d'Avamê. Il est en effet au moins deux questions à poser :- Les produits ont-ils été importés avariés ?- Au lieu de bloquer tout accès au site de leur incinération, qu'a-t-on pu dire aux riverains ? Peut-être leur a-t-on soufflé : ‘‘Allez-y, ce n'est pas si avarié que ça. Nous, on s'est servis au passage. Faites quand même attention à vite remonter.'' Oui, il faut punir les coupables. Dans la foulée, le Chef de l'Etat devra rendre publics avec effet les résultats des audits en cours. Il se murmure déjà qu' ''ils vont se taire là-dessus comme en 2006'', à cause des gens haut placés tapis au fond des gros scandales financiers. Il paraît qu'on ne saurait les inquiéter sans que le pays n'explose. Puisse le Chef de l'Etat ne pas se laisser récupérer. Le pays s'est effondré. S'il explose, ce sera signe de résurrection, de rupture pour un nouveau départ. Dans le Bénin à venir, nous ne tolérerons plus que, à grand et à petit feu, on nous tue.

Aux grands maux les grands remèdes, dit-on. Dans son combat contre le grand banditisme pour l’instant non maîtrisé, le gouvernement du Président Patrice Talon vient de prendre une grande décision.

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Warum ist eine Teilnahme von Frauen in der Politik wichtig? Was bewegt Frauen in Tansania, sich politisch zu engagieren? Welche Faktoren fördern oder behindern ihre Partizipation? Welche Schritte sind notwendig, um sie zu verbessern?