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September 19, 2016 (EL-FASHER) - Tribes residing in the locality of Kabkabiya in North Darfur state have signed a document to enhance peaceful co-existence, fight against crime and promote security.

Leaders of the Abbala and Beni Hussein tribes from North Darfur's El Sereif area celebrate after signing a reconciliation agreement in El Fasher on 27 July 2013. (Photo: Albert Gonzalez Farran/UNAMID/AP)

According to the document seen by Sudan Tribune on Monday, the Kabkabiya tribes renewed commitment to unify efforts to combat various types of crime and vowed to waste blood of the outlaws who attack and loot individuals and groups.

The document also pointed to the commitment of the tribe to carry out joint work to capture criminals and to achieve peace in the locality, holding the Sudanese army responsible to protect the residents and enforce the security decrees.

The peaceful coexistence document, which is titled “Covenant and Charter”, was signed by traditional administrations leaders Al-Tayeb Abakora Ahmadai and Abdel-bagi Abdel-Rahman on behalf of the tribes in the locality of Kabkabiya.

Kabkabiya, which is located in west North Darfur state, has witnessed repeated killing and robbery incidents besides tribal clashes. Armed militias particularly those affiliated with the government and known as Janjaweed have large presence in the locality.

Last June, North Darfur governor Abdel-Wahid Youssef accused unnamed parties of seeking to keep the “insecurity and instability” situation in Darfur, pointing to “hidden hands that prompt the security chaos in all Darfur's five states not only North Darfur”.

He declared a state of maximum readiness among regular forces to control the lawlessness situation in the state and prevented riding of motorcycles, wearing of Kadamool (a turban which covers the face) and holding arms inside the capital, El-Fasher.

(ST)

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Angela Merkel said that she would “rewind time”, if she could, and deal with Germany’s influx of refugees differently, marking the first time that the German chancellor had confessed to mishandling the crisis.

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September 19, 2016 (JUBA) - South Sudanese government under the leadership of President Salva Kiir on Monday revealed that it was in talks with General Peter Gatdet Yak, former Deputy Chief of General Staff in the opposition group led by Riek Machar. He defected from Machar in 2015.

General Peter Gatdet Yak addressing a conference in Pagak, South Sudan, April 20, 2015 (ST photo)

The government said approaching the defected army General through dialogue was important for consolidating peace and stability in the country.

“This country called South Sudan needs all of us to cooperate. This is our country. There is no need to destroy it. The solution can't be achieved through holding weapons. It can be found around the table of dialogue. There is nothing which cannot be solved. The president of the republic is ready to bring peace through peaceful dialogue,” Tut Kew Gatluak, Presidential Advisor on Security Affairs, said on Monday.

The presidential aide was reacting to reports that the president has approved behind the scene talks with the hold out armed and non-opposition leaders as a political strategy and tactics to weaken the support base of his main political rival and armed opposition leader, Machar.

Several government officials have repeatedly claimed in a series of interviews with Sudan Tribune on Sunday that General Peter Gatdet Yak has indicated readiness to abandon the armed struggle and return to Juba.

Yak, according to presidential sources, had allegedly spoken numerous times to the president through his security advisor during which he demanded a position of deputy commander in chief, a post which does not exist in the constitution but previously created to accommodate late Paulino Matip Nhial.

It remains unclear whether the president will accept or which position he will have to create for him.

Observers say President Kiir and his new First Vice President, Taban Deng Gai are jointly working on a strategy to influence Yak and several other opposition leaders to abandon armed struggle and return.

“We are all South Sudanese and it is therefore our duty to collectively reject any political decision by some politicians that starts with the shedding of blood,” Gatluak told Sudan Tribune on Monday.

General Yak is currently living in Nairobi, Kenya, after he left Khartoum, Sudan, two weeks ago.

(ST)

La rédaction du « Monde » raconte, décrypte et analyse l’information politique.

Még a fideszes Deutsch Tamás is csak halvány esélyt lát rá, hogy megvágnák a magyaroknak járó támogatásokat.

Még a fideszes Deutsch Tamás is csak halvány esélyt lát rá, hogy megvágnák a magyaroknak járó támogatásokat.

Le Haut-Commissariat des Nations Unies aux droits de l'homme (HCDH) a exprimé mardi sa profonde inquiétude suite à des violences en République démocratique du Congo (RDC).

Le rapport final de l'Enquête indépendante des Nations Unies sur le Burundi (EINUB) publié mardi décrit d'abondantes preuves de violations graves des droits de l'homme par le gouvernement et des personnes qui lui sont associées, violations qui pourraient constituer des crimes contre l'humanité.

Le garde des sceaux présente mardi un nouveau plan de gestion du parc pénitentiaire, alors que la population carcérale est à un niveau historique.

When one 33-year-old Syrian reached Bulgaria, his only goal was to get to Western Europe – but Bulgaria’s ambitious software and outsourcing companies made him change his mind.

The three main Albanian parties in Montenegro have decided to run together in the October elections in a coalition - which experts say sets a pattern that Albanians in nearby Macedonia would do well to follow.

The Bosnian Serbs' historic allies, Serbia and Russia, appear increasingly divided over the controversial referendum set to take place on Sunday, with Moscow openly backing the vote.

Kosovo students have been protesting against a Serbian Orthodox Church that stands on the Pristina University campus, claiming that it is a symbol of Slobodan Milosevic’s repressive regime.

La vingt-neuvième SERA se déroulera du 27 février au 3 mars 2017 en France, du 27 au 31 mars 2017 au Royaume-Uni, du 15 au 19 mai 2017 en Pologne et du 26 au 30 juin 2017 en France.

The twenty-ninth SERA will take place in 2017, from February 27th to March 3rd in France, from March 27th to 31st in the United Kingdom, from May 15th to 19th in Poland and from June 26th to 30th in France.

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Americas

• BAE Systems has been awarded a US Army contract for the upgrade and repair of 32 155mm self-propelled Howitzers for Brazil. Valued at $53.8 million, the deal is expected to be completed by March 2019. This follows the 2014 approval by the US State Department for the sale of up to 40 Howitzer upgrade kits to Brazil, along with the associated equipment parts, training, and logistics as part of a deal estimated to be worth $110 million at the time.

• With nearly a year in office under his belt, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his cabinet will have to make some tough choices over the next year with analysts warning they could effect popularity and political capital. The biggest question in relation to the defense industry is of course the decision over the replacement of CF-18 fighters following the valiant vow to drop of the F-35 during the election campaign. It’s expected that the Liberals will soon announce whether they intend to break this pledge to launch a new competition for fighter jets, with talk inside military circles believing that Ottawa could announce a sole-source contract.

Middle East & North Africa

• Forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad were accidentally bombed by Western warplanes in attacks supposedly aimed at militants of the Islamic State. The US-led coalition halted Saturday’s sorties once Russian officials notified the US of the mistake. 62 Syrian government soldiers were killed in the strike which involved US, Australian, Danish and British aircraft.

Africa

• A memorandum of understanding has been signed between South Africa’s Denel and Chinese Poly Technologies in a deal aimed at “SA’s maritime rejuvenation.” The deal will see Poly Technologies, a division of the larger Poly Defense Group, take a stake in the Simons Town shipyard and join Denel in constructing three naval vessels. It’s believed that Poly is likely to make an investment in the recapitalization of the Simons Town dockyard as part of its management takeover by Denel Integrated Systems and Maritime (Denel ISM). Denel aims to have Poly help develop the naval vessels presuming Poly wins the SA Navy’s Projects Biro and Hotel for hydrographic, inshore and offshore patrol vessels.

Europe

• The UK MoD has announced that they will purchase Leonardo-Finmeccanica’s BriteCloud decoy system in a deal worth $3.25 million. Speaking on the deal, defense official Tony Douglas said “flight trials planned for later this year will test the system’s effectiveness against a wide range of current and potential threats, helping to ensure that UK pilots have the tools they need to successfully complete their missions wherever they are in the world.” If trials are successful, the system will be operational aboard RAF Tornado fighter-bombers by mid-2017.

• Airbus admits to planned cost-cutting measures as the European defense giant embarks on a project to introduce more digital methods into its operations. The company stated that “the envisaged cost-cutting aims at being a contribution to value creation and in particular to the digital transformation at Airbus Group,” but denied reports that they are working on new cuts as a result of cost overruns on their largest planes. Aircraft such as the A400M military transporter have undergone severe delays, cost overruns, and fines during its development, causing much ire from customer nations.

Asia Pacific

• Dassault Rafale fighters purchased by the Indian government are believed to operate as the platform to take over the nuclear strike role from the Indian Air Force’s current fleet of Mirage 2000 fighters. It’s expected that a long awaited Inter-Government Agreement for the purchase of 36 of the French fighter will be announced over the next few days after New Delhi dropped its initial plan to procure 126 Rafales. While there is a follow up clause for an additional 12 Rafales, the IAF’s capability gap will be filled by either the indigenous Tejas fighters, or another foreign fighter such as the Gripen or F-16, both of which have been offered in conjunction with the “Make in India” initiative.

• Chinese media sources have reported that Thailand is looking to replace its fleet of C-130H transport aircraft. Quoting outgoing Air Force chief, Trithod Sonchaeng, likely candidates for the aircraft’s replacement include the Chinese Shaanxi Y-9 and Lockheed Martin’s updated C-130J. However, a procurement plan has yet to be finalized giving time for a third contender to potentially emerge.

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