Africa

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Botswana's Ian Khama has just stepped down after 10 years in power - he says other African leaders should also "move aside and give others the opportunity".

April 15, 2018 (JUBA) – South Sudan's army chief of staff, General James Mawut Ajonga is recovering following a Kidney operation conducted in a Cairo-based hospital, relatives told Sudan Tribune.

The rank of Lt general is pinned on Lt Gen. James Ajong by President Salva Kir, and Vice President James Wani, during the swearing-in ceremony as SPLA general chief of staff on Wednesday 10 May 2017 (ST Photo)

Ubeer Mawut, a brother to the army chief, said they opted for Egypt via Israel after the army chief was denied an entry visa to Germany.

The general was scheduled to fly to Germany for medical attention.

Medical examinations, he said, showed that the South Sudanese army chief of general staff suffers from a kidney infection, Ubeer said.

He said the doctors in Cairo successfully carried out the operation.

The military spokesperson, Lul Ruai Koang confirmed the general's admission in Cairo, but declined to comment on his health condition.

Ajonga was appointed army chief of staff in May 2017, replacing General Paul Malong Awan.

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April 15, 2018 (JUBA) - The Sudan People's Liberation Movement in Opposition (SPLM-IO) announced the release of seven aid workers upon directives from the group leader Riek Machar.

Recently the U.N. urged the SPLM-IO to release seven aid workers with the South Sudan Health Association (SSUHA) saying they were abducted on 25 March while delivering health supplies in Morobo county in Central Equatoria.

In a statement released on Sunday, Lam Paul Gabriel, the SPLM-IO deputy spokesperson said the release took place along the border with Uganda and in presence of security officials from the neighbouring country.

"This morning the 15/04/2018 at about 11:30 AM, the SPLA IO command of Div. 2B and the administration of Yei River State safely released seven (7) Aids workers with three vehicles to a delegation of the UNOCHA along the Uganda border in Koboko," said the rebel spokesperson.

He further said the handover was ordered by the SPLM-IO leader Machar who is still confined in South African but preparing to move to another country in the region, Tanzania probably.

SECURITY ISSUES

Gabriel said they captured the aid workers after discovering two South Sudanese security agents deployed in the rebel-held areas as humanitarians without elaborating on the matter.

"The seven workers were detained due to security issues concerning two of their colleagues who were discovered to be security agents of the regime intentionally deployed to carry out hostile surveillance on our controlled areas," he said.

He called on the humanitarian groups to avoid "being infiltrated" by the government security agencies.

On 10 April, the United Nations announced the death of two aid workers killed in separate attacks near Bentiu town in Unity region.

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April 15, 2018 (JUBA) – An African Union (AU) delegation are a five-day visit to South Sudan to urge South Sudanese parties to commit to the resolution of the civil war that erupted in mid-December 2013.

The delegation of the AU Peace and Security Council (PSC) is led by Bankole Adeoye, permanent representative of Nigeria and chairperson of the PSC for this month, the AU said in a statement.

The PSC mission followed the visit by the chairperson of the AU Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, to South Africa, where he met South Sudan opposition leader, Riek Machar.

The PSC delegation, the AU said, is expected to interact with all South Sudanese stakeholders, African and international actors, to assess the challenges that are still impeding the implementation of the 2015 agreement on the resolution of the South Sudan conflict.

Deeply concerned by the humanitarian situation in South Sudan, the PSC delegation will visit the city of Malakal as part of its field mission.

The Nigerian embassy in Ethiopia said the field mission is taking place in the context of expressing the solidarity and total support of the African Union towards finding lasting peace in war-torn South Sudan.

The embassy, in a statement, further said the AU delegation visiting South Sudan will pay special attention to adequate response and solutions to the humanitarian situation in a country where estimated millions of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and refugees in neighbouring countries are in urgent need of life-saving assistance.

It also added that the PSC will also endeavour to find solutions to the political and unfolding economic challenges, while engaging the government and opposition parties along with the civil society.

“In particular, the PSC is expected to call on all parties to adhere to the provisions of the cessation of hostilities agreement signed on 21 December 2017 in Addis Ababa and witnessed by Nigeria and other member states on the AU high level ad hoc committee on South Sudan,” partly reads the embassy statement.

“The field mission will further take stock of the outcome of the two phases of the IGAD led High Level Revitalization Forum under the auspices of the regional economic community Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) so far held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in December 2017 and February 2018,” it further stressed.

South Sudan has been mired in conflict between the government of President Salva Kiir and rebels led by Machar, the country's former first vice-president since mid-December 2013. The conflict has killed tens of thousands and displaced almost over 2 million people from their homes, including over a million refugees who have fled into neighbouring nations.

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April 15, 2018 (KHARTOUM) - Sudan's President Omer al-Bashir and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia Sunday discussed bilateral relations in a meeting held on the sidelines of the 29th Arab Summit in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia.

"During the meeting, they reviewed the bilateral relations between the two brotherly countries and the opportunities to develop it in various fields. In addition, (they discussed) the latest developments in the region and the efforts exerted towards them," said the official Saudi news agency after the meeting.

For his part, Foreign Minister Ibrahim Ghandour who attended the meeting told SUNA that the Crown Prince praised Sudan's role in common Arab issues and its contribution to regional security and stability.

Sudan is part of the Saudi-led which includes eight African and Middle East countries, in support of the UN-backed government of President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi which fights Houthi rebels.

In its final communiqué, the Arab summit reaffirmed its full solidarity with Sudan to safeguard the national sovereignty of the country and to consolidate peace, security and development.

Also, the meeting declared its support to Sudanese efforts "to benefit from the initiative of international financial institutions for heavily indebted countries".

Saudi Arabia's King Salman on Sunday dubbed the Arab League meeting the “Jerusalem summit” and criticized the U.S. over Jerusalem.

The Monarque further announced a $150 million donation for the maintenance of Islamic heritage, Aqsa mosque, in the eastern part of Jerusalem.

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April 15, 2018 (JUBA) - The chairperson of the African Union Commission, Mousa Faaki Mohamed has called for the unreserved participation of South Sudan rebel leader, Riek Machar in the High Level Revitalization Forum (HLRF) initiated by the regional bloc (IGAD).

South Sudan rebel leader Riek Machar and the AU Commission chairperson Mousa Faki Mohamed in Pretoria, South African, April 12, 2018 (ST photo)

“The chairperson of the commission took advantage of his visit to meet with Dr. Riek Machar, the leader of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement in Opposition (SPLM/IO). He underlined the imperative for all South Sudanese stakeholders to muster the required political courage and commitment to end the conflict unfolding in their country, and strongly called on Dr. Machar to fully play his part and cooperate unreservedly with the IGAD-led efforts within the Revitalization Forum,” the AU said in a statement issued on Saturday.

It added, “Dr. Machar pledged to do all he can to facilitate the search for peace, and said he was looking forward to the resumption of the Revitalization Forum under the IGAD auspices”.

The South Sudanese rebel leader and the African Union chairperson met in Pretoria, South Africa on Thursday to discuss the ongoing peace process in the war-hit nation.

The two leaders reportedly discussed the high-level revitalization forum, challenges facing the process and the role of other peace partners, like AU and the five African countries forming the IGAD-Plus.

The IGAD-Plus nations (Algeria, Chad, Nigeria, Rwanda and South Africa) were added into the mediation process to strengthen Africa's support to the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and assist South Sudanese parties and stakeholders to achieve durable peace.

The armed opposition leader reportedly expressed commitment of his group to participate in the revitalization talks without reservation.

The AU statement did not, however, made no mention about Machar's detention in South Africa and the recent decision by the regional leaders to relocate him to a country outside the region.

South Sudan has been mired in conflict between the government of President Salva Kiir and rebels led by Machar, the country's former first vice-president since December 2013. The conflict has killed tens of thousands and displaced almost over 2 million people from their homes, including over a million refugees who have fled into neighbouring nations.

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April 15, 2018 (KHARTOUM) - The foreign ministry has called on the visiting UN Sanctions Committee established pursuant to resolution 1591 (2005) on Sudan to reconsider its 13-year regime of sanctions on Darfur.

On 8 February, the UN Security Council announced its intention to regularly review the measures on Darfur in the context of the evolving situation on the ground, taking into account the Committee Chair's report and recommendations, and in light of reports submitted by the Panel of Experts.

Foreign ministry deputy undersecretary Omer Sidiq received Joanna Wronecka (Poland), the chair of the 1591 Sudan Sanctions Committee and accompanying delegation including committee members and some members of the panel of experts.

The Sudanese diplomat welcomed the UN resolution 2400 (2018) on the Council's determination to review the sanctions regime and stressed the importance that Sudan attaches to reviewing the sanctions regime, said a statement issued by the ministry after the meeting.

"He pointed to the positive developments on the ground in Darfur, which led the UN Security Council to reduce the number of UNAMID forces by half, saying it represents a categorical acknowledgement of the development of the situation towards peace and sustainable stability," further said the statement.

Wronecka who is Poland's Ambassador to the United Nations served in 1999-2003 as non-resident ambassador to Sudan.

The Sudan Sanctions Committee has to brief the Security Council on its work every 90 days. The last briefing was on 14 March 2018.

Last February, the Security Council extended the mandate of the Panel of Experts, which support the work of the sanctions committee, until 12 March 2019.

By the terms of the resolution 1591 (2005), the committee oversees the implementation of the sanctions; consider and decide upon requests for exemptions from the sanctions, and designate individuals and entities who meet the listing criteria.

The sanctions measures include an embargo on arms and technical training and assistance in relation to actors operating in Darfur; besides travel ban and assets freeze.

The UN list of individual sanctions contains fours names: Gen Gaffar Mohammed Elhassan, tribal leader Musa Hilal, Sudan Liberation Army Commander Adam Yacub Sharif, and National Movement for Reform and Development Commander Jibril Abdulkarim Ibrahim Mayu.

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April 15, 2018 (KHARTOUM) - Sudan's Presidential Assistant Faisal Hassan Ibrahim announced his government would implement a roadmap programme to deliver humanitarian aid to rebel-held areas in South Kordofan.

On Saturday, Ibrahim received the recommendations of the first youth conference on peace and development in South Kordofan.

According to Ashorooq TV, the presidential aide said the government would also launch a child vaccination campaign and provide education requirements in the rebel-controlled areas.

Ibrahim underscored that peace is a strategic not tactical goal for the government, calling on arms bearers to end the war in order to reach a political settlement to achieve permanent peace.

The Sudanese army has been fighting the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/North (SPLM-N) rebels in the Blue Nile and South Kordofan, also known as the Two Areas since 2011.

The SPLM-N is now divided into two factions: one led by Abdel Aziz al-Hilu and the other led by Malik Agar. The rift emerged last year over the right of self-determination and other organisational issues.

Talks between the Sudanese government and the SPLM-N for a cessation of hostilities and humanitarian access are stalled since August 2016.

The SPLM-N demands to deliver 20% of the humanitarian assistance through a humanitarian corridor from Asosa, an Ethiopian border town.

But the government rejects the idea saying it is a breach of the state sovereignty and a manoeuvre from the rebels to bring arms and ammunition to their locked rebel-held areas in the Two Areas.

The SPLM-N, in November 2016 declined an American proposal to transport humanitarian medical assistance directly to the civilians in the rebel-held areas in the Blue Nile and South Kordofan.

Also, during the last round of talks from 1 to 3 February, the Sudanese government and SPLM-N al-Hilu failed to reach a cessation of hostilities agreement.

The mediation delinked the ceasefire and the humanitarian access and focused at this round only on the cessation of hostilities agreement.

However, differences between the sides emerged when Khartoum proposed that the cessation of hostilities be a step towards a permanent ceasefire and humanitarian access.

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April 15, 2018 (KHARTOUM) - Sudan's Presidential Assistant Faisal Hassan Ibrahim and the European Union (EU) envoy to Khartoum Jean-Michel Dumond Sunday have discussed efforts to achieve peace in Darfur.

Director of the European department at the Foreign Ministry, Khalid Musa Dafaallah said Ibrahim briefed the EU envoy on the government's efforts to achieve peace, security and stability in Darfur.

He pointed out that Ibrahim welcomed the informal consultations meeting between the government and the Darfur rebels which would convene in Berlin on Monday.

According to Daffallah, Dumond briefed the Sudanese official on the EU efforts to provide development assistance in Darfur besides its support for water harvest and food security projects.

For his part, the EU envoy expressed hope that the Berlin meeting could lead to a permanent ceasefire in order to achieve development in the restive region.

He added that peace and stability in Sudan are among the top priorities of the ongoing dialogue between Sudan and the EU.

It is noteworthy that the Berlin meeting would bring the Sudanese government and two armed groups from Darfur region, Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) and Sudan Liberation Movement Minni Minnawi (SLM-MM) to negotiate a pre-negotiation agreement.

If the parties strike a deal, it would pave the way for talks on a cessation of hostilities and then they will join the negotiations table to discuss political issues in Doha.

The German government which is a facilitator for the African Union efforts to end armed conflicts in Sudan hosted several meetings in the past for the opposition groups or between the government and opposition.

The Sudanese army has been fighting a group of armed movements in Darfur since 2003.

UN agencies estimate that over 300,000 people were killed in the conflict and over 2.5 million were displaced.

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As Commonwealth leaders meet in London, the BBC takes a look at the facts and figures behind this club of nations.

The United Nations Secretary-General is calling on political leaders in Mali to ensure those responsible for a deadly assault on peacekeepers serving in the north are brought to justice.

April 14, 2018 (JUBA) – The African Union Peace and Security Council (AUPSC) should push for the establishment of the Hybrid Court to try the different crimes committed during the civil war, an activist said.

South Sudanese civil society activist Edmund Yakani (The Niles/File)

Members of the AUPSC are in South Sudan for a six-day consultation visit. The delegation will also travel to the northern town of Malakal.

“[The] AUPSC should make strong action-oriented positions on the ongoing violations of the cessation of hostilities agreement signed on 21st December, 2017, compromises during HLRF [High Level Revitalization Forum], establishment of a Hybrid Court and the negative interference of some AU members' states on HLRF process,” said Edmund Yakani, a South Sudan civil society activist.

He added, “The ongoing violations of CHoA [Cessation of Hostilities Agreement] are weakening the public trust and confidence that the negotiating parties of South Sudan have and the will to accept peaceful settlement of their political difference”.

The AUSPC team is in Juba, the South Sudan capital to discuss to discuss the situation in five year old civil in the East African country.

The meeting is within the time frame where the regional bloc's special envoy to South Sudan is conducting shuttle diplomacy with various South Sudan actors on ongoing peace mediation processes.

Yakani, however, said the meeting in the South Sudan capital is timely in terms of pushing and lobbying South Sudan negotiating parties for compromises on the registered deadlock on the road to revitalize the Agreement on Resolution of Conflict in South Sudan.

“The AUPSC meeting in Juba should not ignore matters of estrange and hostile political relation among the principals and the negotiating parties, “ stressed Yakani, adding that “Building consensus among the principals of the negotiation parties besides their personal political grievance is essential for the success of next High-Level Revitalization Forum in later April 2018 in Addis Ababa”.

He also called for support for national media coverage of next HLRF as a strategy of bui1ding d citizens ownership, trust and confidence on the outcomes of HLRF and that the AUPSC team should meet with others stakeholders, including faith-based leaders, members of the civil society, women and youth during their six-day visit to Juba.

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April 14, 2018 (KHARTOUM) - A small issue about whether or not to mention Ethiopia's reservation on the 1959 agreement caused the failure of Khartoum meeting over Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), said Sudan's Foreign Minister Ibrahim Ghandour on Saturday.

Sudan's FM Ibrahim Ghandour (Photo SUNA)

Commenting on the failure of 5 April meeting, Ghandour last Friday told the BBC Arabic that the three countries were about to sign an agreement after a 17-hour meeting when Egypt raised the issue of the disputed Nile Water Agreement between Cairo and Khartoum of 1959 which Ethiopia refused to recognize.

The Sudanese top diplomat in another interview with the Egyptian official newspaper Al-Ahram gave more details on what happened on Khartoum meeting saying the meeting was constructive and the three delegations reached an understanding over all the outstanding matters, except a small point about the 1959 deal.

He added all the parties have agreed not to include it in the discussion over the GERD, but the difference emerged when Ethiopia wanted it to be clearly written in the outcome of the meeting and Egypt wanted it to remain a gentleman agreement.

"The small point of disagreement at the Khartoum meeting is related to Ethiopia's reservation on the Nile Water Agreement between Egypt and Sudan. All of us have accepted it, but some refused to sign (a document stating the acceptance of this reservation) saying they agree on it but do not want to see a written text about it, while another party said it should be written as long as we agreed on it," said Ghandour.

"This little difference on writing a (formal) agreement or only to have it as a Gentleman agreement is what led us to where we are, but I think it is a small point of disagreement," he emphasized.

In a separate statement to the press in Saudi Arabia, Ghandour said the three countries agreed that "no one would be harmed by the dam".

The other Nile Basin countries including Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda together with Ethiopia in the past said they want to negotiate all the treaties on the Nile water, particularly 1929 Nile Waters Agreement.

Signed on 7 May 1929 between Egypt and Great Britain, the deal gives Cairo the right to veto projects on the Nile that would affect its water share. At the time, London represented Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania and Sudan.

The 1959 agreement between Egypt and Sudan, which is seen as a complement to the 1929 agreement, gave Egypt the right to 55.5 billion cubic meters of Nile water and Sudan 18.5 billion cubic meters per year.

Last Thursday, Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said that his country had invited Ethiopia and Sudan to resume the GERD negotiations on April 20.

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April 13, 2018 (JUBA) – A member of the Jieng Council of Elders (JCE), an advisory body To South Sudan President Salva Kiir, has expressed dismay over the ex-army chief of staff's move to rebel.

Former South Sudan army chief of staff, Gen Paul Malong Awan (Juba24 News)

General Paul Malong announced the formation of the South Sudan United Front (SSUF), arguing that his movement was the only means through which he would work with compatriots to "arrest the carnage" in the war-torn country.

“Our movement is a just an urgent call to our compatriots and a struggle to first arrest the carnage that has befell our country and secondly to steer us towards democracy and development, which are the cornerstones of nationhood, an African nationhood of democracy, development, equal citizenry, justice and freedom”, he said in a statement publicly unveiled on Monday.

He accused Kiir of building a nation where total impunity is the order.

“Our movement seeks to reverse this. We must build our nationhood around strong institutions and not strongmen. Strong institutions will outlive all of us and guarantee the prosperity of our nation. This is what we yearn for in our country”, further stressed the statement.

But the chairman of the JCE, Ambrose Riiny Thiik said it was unwise for Malong to rebel.

“It was this council that was securing and bridging the reconciliation process between Kiir and Malong until he was released on medical ground to Kenya though rumours emerged to the contrary about his secret visit to Sudan last month,” Thiik told Sudan Tribune Friday.

He said the council would still negotiate between Kiir and Malong.

“The council of elders is studying the circumstances leading to the formation of the new opposition by General Paul Malong Awan because there were already discussions between him and the president which we led. This questioned the council and brought dissatisfaction among the members of why Malong disvalued the council and moved on with his contrary decision,” stressed Thiik.

Malong said his new rebel group would strive towards fighting what he described as "systemic corruption, stop the ongoing carnage, steer the country toward democracy, justice, equality and freedom."

South Sudan's information minister, Michael Makuei said Malong was at “the top of corruption” and that he was the one responsible for all the atrocities the army committed in the course of the civil war.

He, however, admitted that pro-government could have committed numerous atrocities as they pursued Machar who attempted to take over power from the incumbent President Salva Kiir.

Relations between Malong and President Kiir deteriorated after the former was sacked from his post as army chief of staff in May 2017 and placed under house arrest for fear he would start a rebellion.

The ex-army chief was freed in November following mediation led by members of the JCE. The agreement refrained him from going to his home-town of Aweil in Northern Bahr el-Ghazal state but was allowed to travel to any East Africa country

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April 14, 2018 (JUBA) – The Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (JMEC), the body monitoring the implementation of South Sudan's peace accord, has been urged to involved women in the ongoing peace process.

JMEC Team led by Chief of Staff Ambassador Berhanu Kebede (Second far left) with the Swedish delegation (JMEC photo)

The decision was reached on Friday during a meeting which JMEC officials held with a team from the Swedish ministry for foreign affairs.

The team is in South Sudan as part of a study tour to several countries to understand how gender issues are integrated into the United Nation mission's implementation of its mandate and for its partners.

They will meet representatives from the UN, government and civil society in these countries to learn from their experiences, successes, challenges and recommendations in order to improve concrete implementation of the women, peace and security agenda.

The Swedish team will also visit Afghanistan, Iraq, Mali and Liberia.

During the meeting held in the capital, Juba, JMEC chief of staff, Ambassador Berhanu Kebede and his team gave an overview of commission's integration of gender perspectives in its oversight mandate, emphasizing the centrality of women's participation and inclusion in the implementation of the agreement and their direct involvement in the ongoing high level revitalization forum processes.

The Swedish team comprised of Karolina Vrethem, the Deputy Director at the Department of Conflict and Humanitarian Affairs at the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Gustaf Solomonsson from the African Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs specializing in the Horn of Africa, Lotta Segerstrom from the Department for UN Policy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Hanna Carlsson, the First Secretary at the Swedish embassy in Juba.

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April 14, 2018 (KHARTOUM) - The Higher Coordination Committee to Follow-Up on the Implementation of the Dialogue Outcome said it would meet at the end of the month to form the higher committee for drafting the permanent constitution.

The minister of information and member of the committee Ahmed Bilal Osman on Friday said President Omer al-Bashir would preside over the upcoming meeting which is expected to endorse the references for drafting the constitution.

He pointed out that the release of the political prisoners and the upcoming meeting with the Darfur rebels in Germany aims to achieve common understandings on issues of peace and the constitution.

Osman added that most of the political forces have agreed to draft the constitution before the 2020 elections, saying the next period would witness significant work to engage the Sudanese on the drafting of the permanent constitution.

In October 2016, the political forces participating in the government-led national dialogue concluded the process by signing the National Document which includes the general features of a future constitution to be finalised by transitional institutions.

The National Consensus Government (NCG) was installed in May 2017 to implement the outcome of the dialogue conference.

The opposition groups boycotted the national dialogue because the government didn't agree to a humanitarian truce with the armed groups and due to its refusal to implement a number of confidence-building measures aiming to create a conducive environment in the country before to hold the inclusive dialogue.

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April 14, 2018 (KHARTOUM) - The Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) led by Gibril Ibrahim on Saturday announced that a number of its commanders have defected to the Sudanese government describing the move as “deplorable behaviour”.

In a statement extended to Sudan Tribune, JEM spokesperson Gibril Adam Bilal said a group of JEM commanders including Hussein Abdel-Rahman Arkory (aka Abu Garja), Muhamadein Sulieman, Ibrahim Hashim Bashar (aka Garsil), Mohamed Musa (aka Miringa) and Abdel-Azim Abakar Ibrahim (aka Bob) was on an administrative mission.

“However, they broke the oath of allegiance to the revolution, betrayed the trust and dragged the officers, non-commissioned officers and soldiers and handed them over to the security services of the regime,” read the statement

Bilal stressed the various sectors of the Movement's army are well and strong, vowing to continue the revolution “until victory is achieved, whatever the cost”.

He warned the regime “that the revolution is alive and will remain as long as the reasons that caused its eruption is still there”.

The Sudanese government and JEM and Sudan Liberation Movement Minni Minnawi (SLM-MM) will meet in Berlin on 16 and 17 April to negotiate a pre-negotiation agreement.

If the parties strike a deal, it would pave the way for talks on a cessation of hostilities and then they will join the negotiations table to discuss political issues in Doha

The Sudanese army has been fighting a group of armed movements in Darfur since 2003.

UN agencies estimate that over 300,000 people were killed in the conflict and over 2.5 million were displaced.

(ST)

April 13, 2018 (JUBA) - South Sudanese armed opposition group, SPLM-IO, Saturday accused the government forces of attacking their positions in Northern Liech State.

SPLA soldiers, from the 2nd Battalion pose at the SPLA headquarters in Nyang, in the county of Yirol East, on February 15, 2014 (Photo AFP/Fabio Bucciarelli)

"This morning the 14/04/2018, the regime's forces came out of their trenches and attacked the SPLA IO positions in Boaw and Nhialdiu and some forces are already on their way to Mir mir and Rukuai in (Northern) Liech state," said SPLM-Io deputy spokesperson Lam Paul Gabriel.

The rebel official further claimed that Northern Liech Governor, Joseph Nguen Monytuil and SPLA Gen Deng Wol ordered the attack on the SPLA-IO controlled areas in the state.

"Fighting is still on as I write; more details will follow later," he said.

In a phone call, Gai James, a resident of Bentiu told Sudan Tribune that fighting started since Friday until Saturday morning between the SPLA-IO and the SPLA in the southwest of Bentiu and Boaw Payam in Koch county.

The SPLM-IO deputy spokesperson called on the ceasefire commission, CTSAMM, to investigate this criminal act as soon as possible.

A senior US official on Friday requested the IGAD to release of all the CTSAMM reports on cease-fire violations as soon as possible and to take the needed punitive measures against the violators of the cessation of hostilities agreement.

The official who was speaking to Voice of America under the cover of anonymity said: "concerned by reports of continued fighting in South Sudan, including military campaigns by the government around Nassir town in the country's northeast, and around Kajo Keji and Yei in the country's south".

In a communiqué issued at the end of its 61st session on the situation in South Sudan on 26 March, the IGAD Council of Ministers expressed “extreme” concern on the report submitted by CTSAMM on flagrant violations of the ceasefire agreement by South Sudan government troops in Nassir area on 12 February 2018.

The IGAD council “Decides in line with the Council's Communiqué of January 26, 2018, to take targeted sanctions against individual violators and refer to the AU Peace and Security Council for appropriate punitive measures,” said the statement.

But since the communiqué, no sanctions have been announced by the regional body.

(ST)