Africa

October 26, 2020 (KHARTOUM) - Sudan's head of the Sovereign Council Abdel Fattah al-Burhan dismissed that any foreign country had paid compensations for victims of terrorism.

Press reports said that Saudi Arabia encouraged Sudan to normalize with Israel and paid compensations to the victims of terrorism, as part of its efforts to increase Donald Trump's chances in the presidential elections.

"The amount of compensation for the families of the victims in the bombings was paid from our own resources, and no country paid it on our behalf," he stressed.

Khartoum had encountered severe difficulties to collect compensations to collect the compensations of terror victims. Officials said that the government bought dollars from the black market and this contributed to the depreciation of the Sudanese pound and the rise in inflation.

Last year, Saudi Arabia and the UAE pledged to pay each 1.5 billion to help Sudan. But in fact, they only gave one billion.

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Africa needs to prepare better for climate change by responding to a wide range of potential risks, a multi-agency report led by the UN World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said on Monday, the first in a series of continent-by-continent assessments.

The UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) has announced the launch of the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum, following the signing of a permanent ceasefire agreement in the strife-torn country. 

October 25, 2020 (KHARTOUM) - The Sudanese Communist Party (SCP) said its disagreement with the government policies does not affect its commitment to the cohesion of the alliance backing Hamdok cabinet.

Recently, the Sudanese communists criticized the Juba peace agreement and rejected the normalization with Israel.

However, the SCP official spokesperson, Amal Hussein al-Zain told the official news agency SUNA on Sunday that her the leftist party is keen to preserve the cohesion of the Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC) alliance.

"The difference between the party and some allies made some bets that the PCS is working to dismantle the forces of the Declaration of Freedom and Change," al-Zain said.

“The SCP stands and supports any rightful stance or action by the government for the benefit of the broad spectrum of the masses,” she said.

“In return, the party rejected any mistake or any action by the government against the will of the people and the goals of its revolution,” the spokesperson stressed.

The FFC are set to take part in a meeting on the normalization with Israel on Monday afternoon together with the cabinet, the Sovereign Council and the Sudanese Revolutionary Front which will take part in such a meeting for the first time after the signing of the peace agreement.

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October 25, 2020 (NEW YORK) - Sudan is currently embarking on an attempt to mediate between General Thomas Cirillo of the National Salvation Front (NAS) and the Government of South Sudan, a senior United Nations official told the Security Council Thursday last week.

Exiled South Sudanese rebel general Thomas Cirillo poses for a photograph inside his hotel room in Addis Ababa, on April 17, 2017 (Reuters photo)

Parfait Onanga-Anyanga, the UN Special Envoy to the Horn of Africa revealed that involvement of the Sudanese government comes in the wake of the ongoing Rome talks mediated by the Sant'Egidio community.

“Authorities in both countries are confident that all outstanding bilateral issues between their countries, including Abyei and resolution of the situation in South Kordofan and the Blue Nile states, will benefit from the friendly relationships and the mutual trust they are now enjoying,” he said.

The UN official commended the strengthening relations between Sudan and neighbouring South Sudan, saying it offers an opportunity for the international community to engage in the two countries.

NAS, however, said reports on Sudan's involvement were not true.

“This statement is not true. NAS is categorically not in contact with Sudan on any mediation. This information is diversionary as well as its purpose. We only know of SSOMA negotiation in Rome under Sant'Egidio. It will be helpful if you can provide us with official statement on this particular matter,” Suba Samuel Manase, the spokesperson for the hold-out group told Sudan Tribune on Friday.

NAS together with its allies in the opposition alliance participated in the third round of talks of the Rome Peace Process between South Sudan Opposition Movement (SSOMA) and the Revitalized Government of National Unity in South Sudan (R-TGoNU), under the auspices of the Sant'Egidio community in Rome from October 9-12.

The third round of the peace process was a continuation of the first and second rounds of talks mediated by the Sant'Egidio community.

Founded in 1968, the Community of Sant'Egidio is a lay Catholic association dedicated to social service provision.

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October 25, 2020 (KHARTOUM) - The Sudanese government has begun implementing a national plan to protect civilians in the Darfur region, ahead of the withdrawal of the hybrid operation UNAMID by the end of the year, the foreign ministry said on Sunday.

The tripartite mechanism on the UNAMID held a meeting at the headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with the participation Jean-Pierre Lacroix, U.N. Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, Smail Chergui, AU Peace and Security Commissioner.

The meeting intervenes at the end of the meetings of the tripartite technical committee in Khartoum. Also, The two AU and UN officials have to brief a meeting of the UN Security Council on the UNMAID withdrawal by the end of October.

The Sudanese government has repeated its refusal to maintain UNAMID while a new mission prepares to be deployed to support the political transition in Sudan including the implementation of peace agreements.

Also, the transitional government prepared a national plan to protect civilians in the Darfur region when the hybrid peacekeeping forces leave the region.

In a statement released after the end of the meeting, the Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the government had begun implementing the national plan to protect civilians, practically on the ground, by forming and deploying joint forces to establish security.

"The national plan has been prepared in a comprehensive manner covering all the security aspects," stressed the ministry.

According to the statement, the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mohamed Sharif Abdallah, told the meeting that Sudan is capable of filling the void left by the UNAMID exit.

He further reiterated the position of his country's to end the mandate of UNAMID to make room for the new United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS) and indicated Sudan's willingness to provide needed facilities for the departure of the hybrid mission.

Last June, the UN Security Council extended the UNAMID mandate until the end of 2020 and requested to create coordination with the UNITMAS to determine the modalities and timelines for the handover of responsibilities in Darfur.

In line with the peace agreement of 3 October, a 12,000-strong force including the Sudanese army and the signatory Darfur armed groups will be deployed in the western Sudan region to protect the civilians for 39 months.

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The United Nations has strongly condemned Saturday’s attack on a school in southwestern Cameroon, which claimed the lives of eight children, and wounded another twelve. 

October 25, 2020 (KHARTOUM) - The Israeli Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced today that his government is sending $5 million worth of wheat to Sudan days after the two nations moved towards normalizing ties in a deal brokered by the United States.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (Reuters)

“We are looking forward to a warm peace and are sending $5 million worth of wheat immediately to our new friends in Sudan,” Netanyahu's office tweeted.

“Israel will be working closely with the U.S. to assist Sudan's transition,” it said.

There was no comment from Khartoum on the announcement which would be the first trade-like transaction between the two countries since the 1950s. Sudan still has the Israel Boycott Law adopted in 1958 in effect.

Separately, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) sent 67,000 tons of wheat to Sudan today to be allocated to mills in Khartoum and other states, Sudan's official news agency (SUNA) said today.

The wheat shipments are part of an agreement reached this week during a visit by a joint US-Israel delegation to Khartoum to iron out details of the deal by which Sudan agrees to normalizing ties with the Jewish state in return for political and economic incentives chiefly removing it from the list of states that sponsor terrorism.

Sudanese officials told Sudan Tribune that part of the agreement involves $50 million worth of wheat from U.S., UAE & Israel to be dispatched immediately.

Yesterday, the U.S. also announced $81 million in humanitarian assistance to Sudan.

“[T]he day after the Republic of Sudan joined the historic Abraham Accords brokered by President Trump and made peace with the State of Israel, the United States announced $81 million in humanitarian assistance for the people of Sudan as they confront ongoing severe challenges related to a deteriorating economy, the global pandemic, and the worst floods in more than a century,” read a statement By Acting USAID Administrator John Barsa.

“This new funding brings U.S. humanitarian assistance to the people of Sudan to over $436 million for Fiscal Year 2020, including more than $33 million to support the Sudanese response to COVID-19” he added.

This week the US President Donald Trump moved to rescind Sudan's terrorism designation and also hosted a conference call with Netanyahu, Chairman of Sudan Transitional Sovereignty Council (TSC) Abdel-Fatah al-Burhan and Sudanese Prime Minister Abdulla Hamdok.

"The leaders agreed to the normalization of relations between Sudan and Israel and to end the state of belligerence between their nations. In addition, the leaders agreed to begin economic and trade relations, with an initial focus on agriculture," a statement issued by the White House said following the call.

"The leaders also agreed that delegations will meet in the coming weeks to negotiate agreements of cooperation in those areas as well as in agriculture technology, aviation, migration issues and other areas for the benefit of the two peoples".

Israel along with the U.S. "also committed to working with their partners to support the people of Sudan in strengthening their democracy, improving food security, countering terrorism and extremism, and tapping into their economic potential".

The Sudanese foreign ministry confirmed the upcoming visit of an Israeli delegation to sign joint cooperation agreements on agriculture, commerce, economy, aviation & immigration.

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The campaign against police brutality has encouraged young Nigerians to take on the older generation.

Warring parties in Libya on Friday agreed an historic ceasefire, which was hailed by the head of the UN Support Mission in the country (UNSMIL), who led the mediation, as a courageous act that can help secure a “a better, safer, and more peaceful future for all the Libyan people”.

Despite the strengthening of the relationship between Sudan and South Sudan, little progress has been made regarding the disputed Abyei region, the head of UN Peacekeeping told the Security Council on Thursday. 

The UN Secretary-General on Wednesday said he was closely following recent developments across Nigeria, in the wake of reports that protesters had been shot dead and wounded, and called for “an end to reported police brutality and abuses.” 

The world must act now to reverse the situation in Africa’s central Sahel region, where humanitarian needs are at “a breaking point”, UN Secretary-General António Guterres told a high-level conference on Tuesday to address the burgeoning crisis. 

Unless access is urgently granted to humanitarian organizations, thousands in the Central Sahel will be “pushed into further destitution”, the UN emergency food relief agency warned on Monday.  

On the eve of the presidential elections in Guinea, the UN Secretary-General has called on all national stakeholders to ensure that the polls are conducted in an inclusive and peaceful manner. 

Candice Mama's father was killed by a man nicknamed "Prime Evil", yet the only way she could find peace was to forgive him.

Twelve migrants have died and others are missing after being thrown off a boat by smugglers off the coast of Djibouti in the Horn of Africa, the UN International Organization for Migration (IOM) has reported. 

Around four million girls worldwide suffer female genital mutilation every year. Although it is forbidden in Kenya, COVID-19 has led some families to revive itthe traditional practice, and a UN-supported phone helpline for victims of gender-based violence in the country has seen a big rise in calls since the pandemic hit.

A surge in armed violence, coupled with the economic and social fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic, are contributing to worsening conditions for children in the Central Sahel, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reported on Friday. 

Authorities in Mali are being urged to act swiftly to apprehend those responsible for two separate attacks on Thursday against peacekeepers serving with the UN Mission in the country, MINUSMA.