Africa

Insecurity continues to plague Central Africa, the UN envoy for the region told the Security Council on Wednesday, highlighting concern for cross-border violence.  

https://www. youtube. com/watch?v=E4lYeHgbi A . . . .

The Commonwealth Observer Group (COG), which has been on location in Ghana observing the recent elections has today issued an interim statement calling for peace as they await full results. The Group s interim statement noted the voting exercise was held successfully, despite unprecedented circumstances posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Digital literacy as a fourth literacy has become necessary to talk about in education and eLearning. Although reading, writing, and mathematics are respected as the basis of being literate, literacy in this day is not complete if a person is not capable of accessing and creating digital information.

UNICEF calls on governments to prioritize the reopening of schools, take all actions possible to make classrooms as safe as possible, and avoid nationwide school closures. The number of schoolchildren affected by COVID-19-related school closures soared by 38 percent in November, placing significant strain on the learning progress and well-being of an additional 90 million students globally.

Despite losing to his contender, Murtala Mohammed of the main opposition NDC at Monday 39;s general elections, the NPP Parliamentary Candidate for Tamale Central, Dr. Ibrahim Anyars saw his votes appreciating in the figures as compared to 2016.

December 8, 2020 (UNITED NATIONS) - UN senior official on Wednesday called on the international community to support the fragile democratic transition in Sudan saying it can be derailed by the huge challenges the country has been facing.

Rosemary DiCarlo (UN Photo)

Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, Rosemary DiCarlo briefed the Security Council on the situation in Sudan and the activities of UNITAMS which preparing to begin its activities to support the democratic transition on the 1st of January 2021

Speaking in a virtual meeting of the 15-member body attended by the Sudanese ambassador to the United Nations, DiCarlo spoke about the difficult economic situation in Sudan coupled with the health crisis due to the COVID-19.

"Given Sudan's arrears, the country has been unable to avail of debt relief. The increased spending on emergency health programmes, coupled with a decline in public revenues, has led to a budget deficit of approximately USD 250 million per month," she said.

The US diplomat also highlighted the political fragmentation of the ruling coalition and their recent dispute with the military component over the formation of the partnership body to coordinate the transition and peace implementation process.

"Sudan is at a critical juncture. It can move forward decisively in its transition, but that process can still be derailed by the many challenges it faces," said DiCarlo.

"It is incumbent on all of us to support Sudan in its efforts to achieve democratic governance, economic prosperity and an inclusive society for all Sudanese," she further stressed.

UNITAMS deployment

Speaking about the United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS), she said the mission has already begun to deploy to Khartoum since October.

"The mission will focus on the four objectives outlined in Resolution 2524: assist the political transition; support peace processes; assist peacebuilding, civilian protection and the rule of law; and support the mobilization of economic, development and humanitarian assistance," said the international diplomat.

Further, she added that the political mission will provide good offices, technical support and capacity building, and will leverage the work of the United Nations country team.

While the UNITAMS's headquarter will be in Khartoum, the mission will establish field offices in Darfur, the Two Areas and eastern Sudan.

(ST)

December 8, 2020 (KHARTOUM) - Senior Sudanese officials and the visiting Saudi Arabia's foreign minister discussed the security of the countries bordering the Red Sea and the need for joint cooperation.

Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud was in Khartoum on Tuesday in the first visit to Sudan after the collapse of the former regime.

During his one-day, he met with the head of the Sovereign Council and the Prime Minister to discuss bilateral relations and ways to activate bilateral cooperation agreements between the two countries.

The Sovereign Council and the cabinet office issued separate statements following their meetings with the visiting Saudi top diplomat saying that he discussed the Red Sea security with them.

"The Saudi Foreign Minister praised Sudan's position and its participation in the Decisive Storm campaign (in Yemen), noting that the two sides agreed to jointly cooperate with regard to the security of the Red Sea," reads a statement by the Sovereign Council quoting Al Saud.

For its part, the cabinet said the meeting dealt with the "importance of the security of the countries bordering the Red Sea, in light of the conflict that broke out in the Tigray region of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia".

In January 2020, Sudan joint a Saudi initiative to establish a regional alliance between the countries bordering the Red Sea including Egypt, Djibouti, Somalia, Yemen and Jordan. Eritrea did not take part in the agreement demanding to include Ethiopia which has no access to the Red Sea.

However, despite the regime change in Sudan, Khartoum moved on and signed a deal with Russia negotiated by the former president to establish a navy base on the Red Sea in eastern Sudan, off the Saudi coast.

The prime minister said the meeting discussed regional conflicts in Yemen, Syria and Libya and it was agreed on the need to resolve these conflicts peacefully without foreign intervention.

On the ongoing discussions about the filing of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, the Saudi minister backed Sudan's position on the need to reach a binding agreement for the three parties.

(ST)

December 8, 2020 (JUBA) – South Sudan has reached a health cooperation agreement with China for the next five-year period.

The deal, which was signed last week, allows China to deploy its medical teams in South Sudan over the period from 2021 to 2026.

This move, Xinhua reported, paves way for strengthened cooperation between China's Anhui Medical University and South Sudan's Juba Teaching Hospital through knowledge sharing and capacity reinforcement.

"We have always placed health care at the top of the agenda for cooperation between South Sudan and China," the Chinese ambassador to South Sudan, Hua Ning explained.

He added, “We also hope that with the support of China and other members of the international community, the health sector here will continue to develop and benefit the people”.

China has, since South Sudan's independence from Sudan in July 2011, become one of its main partners in health, a sector that is greatly affected by the security and economic challenges facing Africa's youngest state.

(ST)

December 8, 2020 (TORIT) – The leadership of the opposition National Salvation Front (NAS) has announced the alleged defection of the armed opposition faction (SPLA-IO) forces in South Sudan's Eastern Equatoria State into the hold-out group.

Lt. Gen. Thomas Cirilo Swaka, the ex-SPLA deputy chief of general staff for training (youtube photo)

NAS, in a statement extended to the Sudan Tribune said the Tafeng Division taskforce of the SPLA- 10 under Brig Gen. Kennedy Ongie Odong defected with forces under his command on December 5.

“The leadership of NAS and its members view this development as historical and nationalistic move. NAS encourages all other forces in the country who are dissatisfied with the dictatorial regime of Salva Kiir, including the SSPDF who feel exploited to emulate the example shown by Brig Gen. Odong and his colleagues,” partly reads the statement issued by the spokesperson, Suba Samuel Manase.

It further added, “The leadership of NAS appeals to all freedom fighters in the country to join hands together with NAS in its struggle to restore our people's lost dignity, justice, equality and freedom”.

Sudan Tribune could not independently verify claims from the hold-out group, which comes barely a week after the SPLA-IO held its 6th national conference in South Sudan's capital, Juba from December 1-5.

The conference, attended by the armed opposition top leadership, discussed the implementation of the revitalized peace agreement, formation of the national and statement government, the vision and mission of the SPLA-IO in the transitional period, among others.

As part of resolution from the conference, the armed opposition movement agitated for reconstituting of the national legislature, recommitted itself to the Rome initiative and re-affirmed its commitment to the implementation of the revitalised peace deal.

(ST)

The dire shortage of food, water, fuel and cash in the Tigray region in northern Ethiopia is seriously affecting people there, including aid workers, the United Nations reported on Tuesday, citing its humanitarian affairs office, OCHA.  

International support for Sudan is critical as the country continues on the path to democratic transition, amid challenges that include political disagreements, economic decline, and the COVID-19 pandemic, UN political affairs chief, Rosemary DiCarlo told a virtual meeting of the Security Council on Tuesday. 

There is a critical need for State institutions in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to provide more stability and safety for citizens facing multiple threats, the head of the UN mission there told the Security Council on Monday. 

More than 17 million Ghanaians were eligible to vote in Monday's poll to elect a new president and parliament.

Reporter Fateh Al-Rahman Al-Hamdani writes about his experience of secretly filming inside Sudan's Islamic boarding schools to expose abuse, and reveals why the investigation was so personal to him.

Kenya's Kibiwott Kandie sets a new world record for the half marathon - in a race where the top four finishers all beat the previous record.

South Africa's farmers are fighting ongoing locust swarms to preserve the country's food security.

Ethiopian PM Abiy Ahmed has found himself in a conflict less than a year after winning the Nobel Peace Prize.

"It is really scary. It is really difficult," a resident of the Tigray capital, Mekelle, shouts down the line.

The United Nations-African Union (AU) partnership has yielded “significant results”, including at the country level, the UN chief told the Security Council on Friday.