Africa

By Tesfa-Alem Tekle

May 15, 2017 (ADDIS ABABA) – South Sudan armed opposition faction (SPLM-IO) under the leadership of the country's First Vice-President, Taban Deng Gai has welcomed President Salva Kiir's move to sack former army chief of general staff, Gen. Paul Malong Awan.

S Sudan's President Salva Kiir is received by former Chief of General Staff of the SPLA Paul Malong Awan at the airport in Juba March 6, 2015 (Reuters)

In a brief statement, which Gai's office in Juba extended to Sudan Tribune, the SPLM faction said it welcomes and honours the executive decision of president Kirr to appoint Lt. General James Ajongo Manwut as the new army chief of general staff.

Last week, President Kiir removed his powerful hardline army chief, in what was described by the presidential spokesperson, Ateny Wek Ateny as a "routine change of guards and not politically motivated".

Malong, a former military commander, had largely been seen as an ethnic-nationalist of Kiir's dominantly ethnic-Dinka tribes and further been accused of renewed fighting in July in the capital, Juba.

The office of the country's First Vice President, said the appointment of the new army chief of general staff would lead to boosting the implementation of the regional bloc (IGAD)-brokered peace agreement signed between the country's two main rival factions.

"His appointment will create a workable conducive environment between the two stakeholders in the peace agreement,” partly reads the statement from the office of the First Vice President.

It said the appointment of the new army chief will accelerate the establishment of cantonments and transformation of SPLA forces.

"As the former chair of Joint Military Ceasefire Commission (JMCC), we are confident that the newly appointed will closely work with regional and international peace partners", it further stressed, while calling on other South Sudanese factions and ethnic groups to join in efforts to bringing about peace, reconciliation and national unity.

(ST)

May 15, 2017 (KHARTOUM) - Sudan's National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) Monday has summoned Mohamed Wida'a, editor-in-chief of Ba'ath newspaper, the weekly mouthpiece of the Sudanese Ba'ath Party (SBP) Mohamed Wida'a.

Wida'a told Sudan Tribune the NISS agents informed him that newspapers have been instructed not to interview leaders of the armed movements, saying publishing any interview with rebel leaders is considered “redline”.

It is noteworthy that Al-Ba'ath newspaper last week published an interview with the leader of the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) Gibril Ibrahim.

Wida'a added he told the NISS agents that his newspaper was launched three months ago and didn't receive any instructions banning interviews with rebel leaders.

In May 2016, the NISS confiscated Al-Wan newspaper for publishing a similar interview with the JEM leader.

Sudanese journalists work under tight daily censorship controls exercised by the NISS.
The NISS enjoys wide-ranging powers of arrest, detention, search and seizure the country's 2010 National Security Act.

In February, the National Assembly rejected new amendments to the 2005 transitional constitution providing to restrict the powers of the security services and to guarantee political freedoms.

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May 15, 2017 (JUBA) – On Monday, General Paul Malong Awan, the former Chief of General Staff of Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) said he had no personal vendetta against President Salva Kiir.

SPLA Chief of General Staff, Gen. Paul Malong Awan (C) is visiting his farms in his homeland of Warawar in Aweil East State on 7 May 2016 (Photo Moses Lomayat)

General Awan said his departure from Juba was misinterpreted and was the reason he decided to return to Juba to avoid more confusion and any political altercations.

"I told the President when he used to call and talk to me while in Yirol, that I was just going home because I did not want my relief to be misunderstood and to cause more confusion," he said.

"I left because I thought it was the best way to manage the situation, people decided to say something different, others even speculated that I had a problem with the President,” he added.

He continued to emphasise that he had no problems with the President Kiir.

Awan's decision to return to Juba was in compliance with the call made by the President and the community leaders.

“When I returned, it was because I wanted to put to rest the confusion, so I decided to come back and listen to why I am needed,” he said.

General Awan reiterated that he has no intentions of rebelling, adding that if he did he would have fought in Juba after he was removed from his position.

"I said already that If I wanted to rebel, I would have rebelled here (Juba), I had guns here and these soldiers do not belong to anybody. If I was about to fight, I would have fought here," he said.

He further reiterated that he will seek permission to return to his home State.

(ST)

May 15, 2017 (JUBA)- South Sudan President Salva Kiir has issued several orders restructuring the army, renaming the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) to South Sudan Defence Force (SSDF).

South Sudanese president Salva Kiir (Photo: Reuters)

In a Presidential Decree number 85/2017 read out on the state-owned television (SSBC) on Monday, Kiir surprisingly reinstated Major General Dau Aturjong Nyuol into the country's active military service.

Aturjong switched allegiance from the army in 2014 after the eruption of conflict but later returned to Juba where he defected from the armed opposition forces (SPLM-IO) in July last year.

President Kiir, in a separate decree, restructured the SPLA into three institutions, namely the ground force, air force and air defence and navy units. Each of the institutions will be overseen by a commander.

The presidential decrees are in line with the resolutions of the fifth SPLA Command Council Conference in June 2016, which authorised the establishment of a Defense Structural Review Committee, tasked with the review of the structures of the Ministry of Defense and Veteran Affairs to be in line with the SPLA white paper of 2008.

Meanwhile, in another republican order, Kiir restructured the leadership of the SPLA general staff to hierarchically consist of the Commander in Chief, the Minister of Defense and Veteran Affairs, the Chief of Defense force, the Deputy Chief of Defense force and Inspector General. This abolished the previous structure, where deputy chief of general staff is now assistant chief of general staff.

The new structure envisages re-branding the army as departments will now be headed by an assistant. As such, for instance, the deputy chief of general staff for finance and administration now becomes assistant chief of defence force for administration, personnel and finance.

(ST)

The United Nations refugee agency today confirmed that for only the third time this year, its field teams were able to distribute humanitarian aid in the embattled district of Mokha, in Yemen&#39s Red Sea governorate of Taiz.

The United Nations human rights chief today expressed grave alarm over the spread of violence by armed groups against the civilian population in several parts of the Central African Republic in recent months, as well as attacks against UN peacekeepers in the country&#39s southeast.

May 15, 2017 (JUBA) – Two United Nations agencies have appealed to donors to step up support for people fleeing crisis-hit South Sudan as the $1.4 billion response plan remains 86% unfunded.

South Sudanese refugees carrying Core Relief Items walk down a road in Bidibidi refugee settlement, Yumbe District, Northern Region, Uganda. (UNHCR/David Azia)

“Bitter conflict and deteriorating humanitarian conditions in South Sudan are driving people from their homes in record numbers,” the U.N High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi said in a statement jointly issued by the U.N Refugee agency (UNHCR) and the World Food Programme (WFP).

According to the U.N, the situation in war-torn South Sudan continues worsening, with a combination of conflict, drought and famine leading to further displacement and a rapid exodus of people fleeing one of the world's most severe crises.

South Sudan has reportedly now become the world's fastest growing refugee crisis with more than 1.8 million refugees, including one million children, having sought safety in Uganda, Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the Central African Republic (CAR).

“The suffering of the South Sudanese people is just unimaginable,” said WFP Executive Director, David Beasley.

“Aid workers often cannot reach the most vulnerable hungry people. Many are dying from hunger and disease, many more have fled their homeland for safety abroad,” he added.

Humanitarian agencies are seeking $1.4 billion to provide life-saving aid to South Sudanese refugees in the six neighbouring countries until the end of 2017, according to an updated response plan presented in Geneva today. But the plan so far remains only 14% funded.

“Our funding situation forced us to cut food rations for many refugees in Uganda," said Beasley.

However, with acute underfunding, humanitarian agencies are struggling to provide food, water, nutrition support, shelter and health services to refugees, further noted the joint U.N statement.

Communities hosting refugees are among the world's poorest and are under immense pressure, the world body said in its joint release.

“Helping refugees is not just about providing emergency aid,” said Grandi.

“It also means supporting governments and communities in neighbouring countries to shore up services and economies in the areas receiving them,” he added.

South Sudan has witnessed renewed clashes between forces loyal to South Sudan President Salva Kiir and the armed opposition faction (SPLM-IO) backing the country's former First Vice-President Riek Machar, in spite of the August 2015 peace agreement.

(ST)

May 15, 2017 (KHARTOUM) - A visiting delegation from the African Union Peace and Security Council (AUPSC) Monday has discussed with the Sudanese government officials recent developments in Darfur region.

The Sudanese side was chaired by the Foreign Ministry Under-Secretary Abdel-Ghani al-Nai'm while the AUPSC side was headed by the Ugandan envoy to the African Union.

In a press release issued Monday, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Gharib Allah Khidir underlined readiness of “government organs to carry out its constitutional tasks in Darfur following the exit of the African Union-United Nations Mission in Darfur (UNAMID)”.

He praised the great role played by the hybrid peacekeeping in achieving security and stability in Darfur, saying the Mission represents a successful model for the joint African cooperation.

Al-Nai'm said the Sudanese side briefed the AUPSC delegation on the recent security, political and humanitarian developments in Darfur, pointing to government efforts in the field of disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration.

The press release pointed that the AUPSC delegation has hailed the significant improvement in the overall situation in Darfur as well as the cooperation between the government and the council.

The delegation also praised the great support rendered by the government to the UNAMID, stressing the AUPSC support for government efforts to achieve peace and stability in Sudan.

It is noteworthy that the UNAMID Joint Special Representative, Kingsley Mamabolo, Sunday briefed the Sudanese government about the outcome of his recent meeting with armed groups in Darfur.

Mamabolo held a meeting with the Sudan Liberation Movement - Minni Minnawi (SLM-MM) and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) earlier this month in Paris to discuss ways to reach a peace deal in Darfur.

Sudan, African Union and the United Nations since three years hold discussions on the UNAMID's exit from Darfur. Khartoum says the security situation is stable and its efforts to curb the tribal violence have been successful.

But the UN proposed a limited and gradual withdrawal from some sectors saying the full exit should intervene after the signing of a peace agreement with all the rebel groups and to ensure the protection of displaced civilians.

Last June, the UN Security Council (UNSC) extended the mandate of the mission until 30 June 2017, stressing that the situation in the region continues to constitute a threat to international peace and security.

(ST)

May 15, 2017 (KWAJOK) – Youth activists and leader of People's Liberal Party (PLP) Majok Lang Majik, have called on the South Sudan government of national unity and security authorities to release the detained youths arrested during the recent protests in Juba.

Majik is an artist currently based in the United States.

“It was absolutely peaceful and the citizens did not cause any damage and therefore as a country that is the signatory to several international and human right treaties. The South Sudan authority need to respects those conventions and the Bills of Rights,” he said.

Majik said that the South Sudanese national unity government should double its efforts to deliver services, instead of pestering its citizens.

“Expressing your feeling peacefully to your government is not a crime nor does it deserve confinement. The government is a social contract which its renewal of service depends on citizens through a democratic means of elections,” he emphasised.

Majik went on to say that the actions jeopardise the upcoming dialogue process stating that “it is not in the spirit of the National Dialogues if citizens cannot express themselves freely, therefore the citizens must feel the environment is a free and liberty is assured under a very liberal state.”

in a phone interview Monday, Majok Lang told Sudan Tribune he had recently toured Australia and Canada advocating for peace to turn to the country.

The South Sudanese government has arrested a number of youth members in Juba for the protests which were triggered by the country economic crisis.

(ST)

May 15, 2017 (KHARTOUM) - Last week, Sudanese President Omer al-Bashir pardoned a pastor and an activist sentenced together with a Czech missionary Petr Jasek who had already been released by the end of February.

The Rev. Hassan Abdurahim Tawor. (Christian Solidarity Worldwide Photo)

The two men were sentenced to 12 years for colluding with the Czech filmmaker who had been condemned for espionage, waging war against the state and inciting hatred against religious congregations.

According to a statement released by Middle East Concern (MEC), Rev. Hassan Abduraheem Kodi Taour and Mr Abdulmonem Abdumawla are released on 11 May after a presidential pardon.

Their release comes about two months after a call by the European Union Special Envoy for the Promotion of Freedom of Religion, Jan Figel, to release them during a visit to Sudan on 19 March.

Sudan released Jasek on 26 February 2017, following a visit to Khartoum by the Czech Foreign Minister Lubomir Zaoralek.

The two had been arrested in December 2015 and sentenced were each sentenced to ten years' imprisonment, on 29th January 2017.

(ST)

The death penalty has been introduced for kidnapping after a spate of abductions in Lagos, Nigeria.

The United Nations health agency is deploying technical experts to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) amid an outbreak of Ebola virus near its northern border with the Central Africa Republic, the agency’s regional director for Africa confirmed.

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A sign emphasizing the importance of healthcare and protection for survivors of sexual violence at a hospital in Kaga Bandoro, Central African Republic. 

© 2016 Human Rights Watch

At today’s United Nations Security Council debate, member states will discuss the secretary-general’s annual report on sexual violence in conflict. In this year’s annual report, the secretary-general recognizes sexual and reproductive health care as “lifesaving interventions.” Indeed, they are.

Writing about the Central African Republic, the secretary-general noted, “A large number of rape victims resort to unsafe abortion, which is the leading cause of maternal mortality.” During research on sexual violence by armed groups in the current conflict, Central African doctors repeatedly told me the same thing – that harm from self-induced or underground abortions now accounts for more deaths than, for example, childbirth-related hemorrhages.

Abortion is legal for rape victims in the Central African Republic but, as in many countries, that doesn’t mean it is readily available. Confusion about when abortion is legal deters some doctors from performing the procedure. Poor access to post-rape medical care – due to lack of services, fear of stigma, and insecurity, among other factors – prevents many women and girls from getting critical treatment that can prevent unwanted pregnancy and HIV transmission if administered quickly.

A 50-year-old survivor told me how, in 2014, she explained to medical staff at a displacement camp that members of an armed group had raped her and her two daughters. “They said, ‘We don’t have injections to stop diseases in the body,” she recalled. “They only gave [us] medicine for malaria.”

Survivors who become pregnant from rape report facing additional stigma, emotional distress, and economic strain. A 23-year-old survivor told me that, realizing she was pregnant after escaping from sexual slavery by an armed group, “I said to myself, if I had medicine I would abort the pregnancy. But since I don’t have anything, I have to stay like this until I give birth.” She said she struggles to support her daughter, then around 12 months old, both financially and emotionally.

At today’s meeting, states should urgently heed the secretary-general’s call and commit to ensuring that all women – including but not limited to those who become pregnant from rape – can get comprehensive post-rape medical care, including information about and access to safe abortion. States should also ensure psychosocial and socioeconomic support and legal aid for survivors, to help them rebuild their lives.

Rape in conflict can have deadly consequences, but the harm can be mitigated. Prioritizing access to services – including safe abortion – should be one of the first things governments do to help women and girls survive. 

(Nairobi) – Ugandan soldiers in the Central African Republic have sexually exploited or abused at least 13 women and girls since 2015, including at least one rape, and threatened some victims to remain silent, Human Rights Watch said today. The Ugandan military has been deployed in the country since 2009 as a part of the African Union’s Regional Task Force to eliminate the Uganda rebel group, the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), but recently announced it is withdrawing its troops.

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“Karin,” a 15-year-old girl in Obo who was eight months pregnant at the time of photo. She told Human Rights Watch that a Ugandan soldier paid her up to 5,000 CFA (approximately $8.30 USD) to be his local “wife.”

©2017 Lewis Mudge/Human Rights Watch

Human Rights Watch interviewed a total of 13 women and 3 girls in early 2017, who described exploitation or abuse since 2010 by Ugandan soldiers in the southeastern town of Obo, where Ugandan forces were based, and heard credible accounts of other cases. Two of the women were girls when the exploitation or abuse took place. Two women and one girl said that soldiers threatened reprisals if they told Ugandan and United Nations investigators about the abuse.

“As counter-LRA operations wind down, Uganda’s military should not ignore allegations of sexual exploitation and rape by its soldiers in the Central African Republic,” said Lewis Mudge, Africa researcher at Human Rights Watch. “Ugandan and African Union authorities should conduct proper investigations, punish those responsible, and make sure that the women and girls who were sexually abused or exploited get the services they need.”

Fifteen of the women and girls interviewed said they became pregnant, but in each case the soldier who fathered the child left the country and has not provided any support.

The 16 cases documented by Human Rights Watch clearly under-represent the full extent of sexual exploitation and abuse by the Ugandan forces, not only because sexual violence is generally underreported, but also because others, including the UN and local health workers, have documented other cases, Human Rights Watch said. In the Central African Republic, women and girls often do not report sexual violence or exploitation due to shame, stigma, or fear of retaliation.

In 2016, the UN Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights reported 14 cases of rape by Ugandan forces in the country, including cases involving victims who were children at the time. Four of these cases are among those Human Rights Watch documented.

Launch Gallery

According to an internal UN report from 2016 obtained by Human Rights Watch, UN investigators in Obo registered 18 cases of sexual violence or harassment by Ugandan soldiers against women and girls who were afraid to give details out of fear of reprisals. The report states that investigators also obtained information about 44 women and girls with children fathered by Ugandan soldiers; the UN team interviewed 12 of them, all girls.

In January 2017, the BBC reported cases of rape by Ugandan soldiers in the Central African Republic, including of a 12-year-old girl who gave birth. The Ugandan military said at the time that it conducted an investigation in Obo and found no evidence of wrongdoing.

Human Rights Watch submitted a series of questions about the allegations to the Ugandan Ministry of Defence and Veterans Affairs on April 20, including about any investigations or disciplinary action, but the ministry has not replied.

Several women and girls told Human Rights Watch that Ugandan military investigators had interviewed them over the past year, but that there was no follow-up and they had no information about the investigation.

Two local organizations, one religious leader, and one journalist in Obo also told Human Rights Watch that Ugandan forces had warned them not to report cases of sexual exploitation and abuse.

The rape survivor interviewed by Human Rights Watch, 15-year-old “Marie,” said a Ugandan soldier assaulted her in January 2016, while she was working in the fields near the Ugandan base at the Obo airstrip. “The man was alone… I could not understand what he was saying,” she said. “He pushed me to the ground [and he raped me]. Afterward, there was real pain.”

“Marie” became pregnant from the rape and gave birth to a child in November 2016.

Fifteen of the women and girls interviewed said they had sex with Ugandan military personnel in exchange for food or money because the ongoing conflict and their displacement had left them desperate. Several said the Ugandan soldiers offered them food and money to be their “local wives,” which entailed having sex and doing domestic work. Fourteen of these women and girls had a child fathered by a Ugandan soldier. All of them said they received no support from the soldier and most said their social and economic situation worsened after the child was born.

Rape; sex in exchange for money, goods, or services; and sex with anyone under 18 by African Union (AU) military, police, or civilians qualify as sexual exploitation and abuse, and are prohibited by the AU. The AU states a zero-tolerance policy for sexual exploitation and abuse.

The women and girls, healthcare workers, and local officials Human Rights Watch interviewed in Obo said that Ugandan soldiers paying for sex was no secret in the community, and women and girls frequently visited the military base by the air strip. “I could spend the night in the base, there were no problems,” said “Karin,” a 15-year-old girl who became pregnant in 2016 by a Ugandan soldier.

On April 19, 2017, the Ugandan Defense Ministry announced its withdrawal from the Central African Republic, saying, “the mission to neutralize the LRA has now been successfully achieved.” Ugandan forces could join the UN peacekeeping mission in the country, MINUSCA, to continue operations against the LRA, the ministry added.

MINUSCA should not consider accepting any Ugandan troops for the UN mission until allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse have been credibly investigated and abusers held to account, Human Rights Watch said.

While in Obo, Ugandan forces received logistical and intelligence assistance from the United States. The US government should condition future support for the Ugandan military on Uganda promptly and thoroughly investigating the allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse in the Central African Republic and punishing the abusers, among other concerns, Human Rights Watch said.

The Ugandan and AU authorities should prioritize the security and well-being of survivors in its response to sexual exploitation and abuse, Human Rights Watch said. That should include assuring survivor’s safety, maintaining confidentiality to reduce the risk of stigmatization, minimizing repeated trauma due to multiple interviews, ensuring timely access to medical and mental health, or psychosocial, care, and providing socioeconomic support to survivors abandoned with children fathered by Ugandan military personnel.

AU forces in the Central African Republic have committed other serious crimes with impunity in recent years. In June 2016, Human Rights Watch published information on the murder of at least 18 people, including women and children, by peacekeepers from the Republic of Congo. At the time, the Congolese peacekeepers were under the command of the AU mission in the Central African Republic, known as MISCA. The AU prepared an internal report on the killings but has not released the findings.

“Both AU and troop-contributing countries should demonstrate full commitment to punish sexual exploitation and abuse in deployment areas,” Mudge said. “They need to enforce the zero-tolerance policy and prevent abuse of the people these missions are meant to protect.”

The Effort Against the LRA
In 2011, the African Union’s Peace and Security Council authorized the Regional Cooperation Initiative for the Elimination of the LRA (RCI-LRA), which included as the military component the Regional Task Force (RTF). The RTF drew its operational forces largely from the Ugandan army. Approximately 1,500 Ugandan military forces were deployed to the Central African Republic.

The US announced in October 2011 that it would send 100 US Special Forces personnel as military advisers to the Ugandan army and other armed forces in the region to assist in apprehending LRA leaders. In recent years, and as LRA groups have moved, nearly all of the US military advisers and Ugandan army soldiers involved have been based in the southeast, with a headquarters in Obo.

Both Ugandan and US forces have announced they will withdraw from the mission in the upcoming months.

Sexual Exploitation and Rape
Human Rights Watch documented one case of rape of a girl (15 years old), and 15 cases of sexual exploitation by Ugandan military forces, including of two girls (15 and 17 years old), and two who were girls at the time the exploitation took place.

Thirteen of the cases occurred after 2015, with the most recent in late 2016. Fifteen of the 16 subsequently gave birth, including two who were 17 when they became pregnant.

“Marie,” the 15-year-old rape survivor, told Human Rights Watch that her attacker was a soldier based in Obo. “He was a young man,” she said. “This soldier raped me and now it is difficult to think about what happened. It was not good and I think about it a lot.”

“Marie” received some medical care after the attack but no information about getting an abortion after she learned she was pregnant (see below). She gave birth to the child in November 2016.

Among the cases investigated by the UN, according to an internal report Human Rights Watch reviewed, one was of a 13-year-old girl who was “raped two times by UPDF [Ugandan military] soldiers in Obo, first in August 2015 and the second time on May 20, 2016.”

A 25-year-old woman, “Blandine,” said she felt she had no choice but to be a Ugandan “wife” because a soldier gave her between 3,000 CFA and 5,000 CFA per week (approximately US$5 to $8.30) in return. “I needed the money,” she said. “I am a farmer and I am poor. I only went to school for a few years… With that money I would buy food and I would do small business.”

A 28-year-old woman, “Margaret,” said she was also not able to refuse money from a Ugandan soldier. “He would give me 1,000 CFA (approximately US$1.60) or some small food after sex. It would be a sachet of corn meal or maybe cabbage or tomatoes,” she said. “I started this relationship with [him] because I needed this small amount of money he gave me, that is all.”

“Francine,” 23, said she had sex with a Ugandan soldier for two to three months in 2015 because he gave her food and money. “He was looking for a woman that he could have sex with but he did not want too many [women] for fear of contracting AIDS,” she said. “He said he would give me 10,000 CFA (approximately US$16.70) to be his wife.”

“Francine” stressed how common the exploitation was in town. “All the Ugandans do this,” she said. “They don’t need to hide it because it is completely normal.”

Exploited and Abandoned
Seven women and one girl said they knew the name of the Ugandan soldier who had paid them for sex, but the others did not. None of the 15 who had a child as a result of the exploitation knew how to contact the soldier who had abandoned them.

“Claire,” 25, said that when she was six months pregnant, the Ugandan soldier who had impregnated her told her he was leaving the following day. “He refused to give me his number in Uganda,” she said. “When I insisted he said, ‘What for? You are just going to call and bother me.’”

“Margaret” said that the Ugandan father of her child, born in early 2015, refused to give her his phone number in Uganda. “No, the child is my gift to you,” she said he told her. “It will be a souvenir to remember me by.”

Six women and girls said Ugandan military personnel had promised to take them to Uganda for a better life in exchange for acting as a soldier’s “wife.”

A 25-year-old mother of a child from a Ugandan soldier, “Claude,” said a Ugandan soldier convinced her to become his “wife” in 2014. “He said he would marry me and take me to Uganda if I accepted to be his ‘wife,’” she said. “He said he would give me what I wanted and needed as his ‘wife,’ so I accepted.”

“Rebecca,” 22, said she agreed to be a Ugandan soldier’s “wife” when she was 17. “He fooled me and he said he would take me to Uganda as his own wife – I believed him,” she said. “I was young and stupid. We were together for a year. Sometimes he would come to the house, sometimes I would go to the base.” “Rebecca” had a child with the soldier when she was still 17.

A 21-year-old woman, “Alphonsine,” said a Ugandan soldier promised her money, food, and a home in Uganda. Over the course of five years, they had two children together. He abandoned her and the children in November 2015, when he returned to Uganda. “I think about my situation and how I was fooled,” she said. “Now it is very difficult for me to find money for food and soap.”

30-year-old “Jeanette,” who had a child from a Ugandan soldier in 2015, said she had sex with him because she needed money and food. “Now I need more money and food because I have to feed and clothe this child, too,” she said.

Services for Survivors
Most of the women and girls interviewed had not been able to get medical or mental health care.

“Marie,” the rape survivor, was able to access some critical post-rape medical care in the days after she was attacked. She was tested for HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections, but no one provided her with information about access to abortion after it was established she was pregnant.

Eight women said the Ugandan soldier with whom they had sex gave them money, ranging from 1,000 CFA to 30,000 CFA (approximately US$1.60 to $50), for medical care during their pregnancy. But all of them said it was not sufficient for the multiple check-ups required, and they either had to find the money elsewhere or forgo appointments.

None had any psychosocial support to deal with the trauma, despite the presence of at least one international organization that offers this service. The women and girls interviewed by Human Rights Watch said they were not aware this service existed.

None had received social or economic support from the AU or other agencies. Several spoke of stigma in their communities associated with having a “Ugandan baby.” This stigma could lead to greater socioeconomic needs. “People in the neighborhood call my child ‘the Ugandan,’” said Rebecca. “The other kids make fun of her and tell her I am the abandoned wife of a Ugandan.”

Ugandan Investigations

Ugandan military investigators interviewed several survivors over the past year, but the survivors said they had not had any communication with the investigators after the interviews and were unaware of other follow up. The women and girls said they had no means to contact the investigators.

Human Rights Watch sent a letter to the Ugandan Defense Ministry on April 20, 2017, asking, among other questions, what steps the ministry had taken to investigate the allegations. The ministry has not replied.

A Ugandan military spokesman, Brig. Gen. Richard Karemire, told the BBC in January that military investigators had visited Obo but found no evidence of wrongdoing. “A team went on the ground and did a very good investigation and they never found anything really to implicate any UPDF [Ugandan military] individual for having perpetrated such crimes,” he said.

Threats to Stay Silent

Two women and one girl who were sexually exploited said that Ugandan soldiers had warned them not to speak to any investigators looking into sexual exploitation and abuse. “Claire” said that Ugandan soldiers approached her in 2016, before Ugandan investigators arrived in Obo. “The soldiers came to my house and told me to say the child was a Central African,” she said. “They told me, ‘Don’t say the boy is a Ugandan or it will make problems for you. It will be bad.’ I said, ‘How can it get worse? I have been abandoned with nothing anyway.’”

“Karin,” the 15-year-old girl who was sexually exploited and left pregnant, said Ugandan soldiers warned her not to speak with Ugandan investigators. She decided to speak to the investigators anyway because she had already been abandoned while pregnant and felt she had nothing to lose.

The internal UN report Human Rights Watch obtained says that UN investigators in Obo registered 18 cases of sexual violence or sexual harassment by Ugandan soldiers against women and girls who were too fearful of reprisals by Ugandan soldiers to give details about their cases. Two local organizations, a religious leader, and one journalist in Obo also said Ugandan forces had warned them not to report sexual exploitation and abuse. The religious leader said: “The Ugandans are here to protect us, but they can also threaten us. They know that they are not meant to [have sex with people in the community] and they do not want people talking to journalists about it.”

The Central African Republic is not the only country where Ugandan soldiers have raped and exploited women and girls while on an AU mission. In 2014, Human Rights Watch documented that Ugandan and Burundian military personnel from the AU mission in Somalia, known as AMISOM, had exploited and abused women, including raping women who were seeking water or medical assistance on AMISOM bases. Some women said they did not report the abuse because they feared reprisals from their attackers. Human Rights Watch has previously raised concerns with the Ugandan Defense Ministry regarding similar allegations against Ugandan troops in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2011.

AU Policy on Sexual Exploitation and Abuse
The UN defines exploitation as “any actual or attempted abuse of a position of vulnerability, differential power, or trust, for sexual purposes, including, but not limited to, profiting monetarily, socially or politically from the sexual exploitation of another.” The UN considers “sexual abuse” to mean the actual or threatened physical intrusion of a sexual nature, whether by force or under unequal or coercive conditions.

In September 2014, Human Rights Watch reported on 21 acts of rape or sexual exploitation by Ugandan and Burundian military personal with the AU mission in Somalia, AMISOM. Following this report, the AU sent an independent investigation team to Somalia. A recommendation in its final report called for the AU Commission to establish an Office of Internal Oversight Services with similar responsibilities to an independent UN office that investigates, submits reports, and recommends action on alleged abuses by UN peacekeepers. The UN policy on peacekeepers’ conduct prohibits engaging in any sexual relations with members of the local community. The AU should establish a permanent and adequately trained and resourced independent investigative body to investigate allegations of misconduct and abuses, including sexual exploitation and abuse, Human Rights Watch said.

Despite allegations made in the past, the AU does not have a comprehensive conduct and discipline policy for AU peacekeepers or soldiers who commit sexual exploitation and abuse. It is working on a policy framework that will include prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse, how to respond to reports of other types of offenses, and a whistleblower policy. It is unclear if the policy will result in establishing an independent investigative mechanism, along the lines of the UN agency as recommended in the report from Somalia.

The UN considers rape; sex in exchange for money, goods, or services; and sex with anyone under 18 by UN military, police, or civilians to be sexual exploitation and abuse, which are prohibited by the UN. The UN professes a zero-tolerance policy for sexual exploitation and abuse. There have been numerous allegations of such abuse against UN peacekeepers in the Central African Republic, including in cases documented by Human Rights Watch in February 2016.

The United Nations Secretary-General’s 2003 Bulletin on protection from sexual exploitation and abuse states that exploitation involves situations in which women and girls are vulnerable and a differential power relationship exists.

Other Abuses by AU Peacekeepers in the Central African Republic
Human Rights Watch has reported on other serious crimes by troops operating as AU peacekeepers in the Central African Republic. In June 2014, Human Rights Watch published information on the killing of at least 11 people, including women and children, in Boali in March 2014, and the death by torture of two others in Bossangoa in December 2013.

In June 2016, Human Rights Watch published another report on the killings in Boali, highlighting the discovery of a mass grave containing the remains of 12 people who were identified as having been detained by the peacekeepers in March 2014, as well as two prisoners executed in Mambéré in February 2014.

The killings in Boali, Bossangoa, and Mambéré were by peacekeepers from the Republic of Congo under command of the AU mission, known by its French acronym, MISCA.

Following the exhumation of the mass grave at Boali, Human Rights Watch wrote to President Denis Sassou Nguesso of the Republic of Congo and to the AU urging credible investigations to bring those responsible to justice. Human Rights Watch never received a reply.

In 2015, staff at the AU embassy in the Central African Republic told Human Rights Watch of an AU report into the murders at Boali. Despite official requests in 2015, 2016, and 2017, Human Rights Watch was never shown the report nor been told of its contents. 

May 15, 2017 (JUBA) – The office of South Sudan President Salva Kiir said the country's former army chief, General Paul Malong Awan should seek medical attention as a “priority” then returning to his home state of Northern Bahr El Ghazal.

The presidential press secretary, in a statement released on Sunday evening, said a meeting between the South Sudanese leader and four delegations representing ex-army chief, that lasted six hours, tried to seek an amicable solution to the standoff.

“It was acknowledged that the attempt by Gen. Paul [Malong] to defy the Presidential Decree was miscalculated act, citing his close friendship with the President, and that he should have first acknowledged the importance of change and hand over the duties to the new army Chief, and then ask the President for permission to leave,” reads the statement.

Family members of the former army chief, who attended the meeting reportedly demanded his freedom of movement to Awiel, the headquarters of former Northern Bahr El Ghazal were Malong served as a governor and remains his strong support base.

But his request, according to the press statement, has been rejected by the government.

“Responding to the request of the family to the President that Gen. Malong should be allowed to go home in Aweil, the President and the delegations held that the medical attention was the priority,” the statement said, citing that “Gen. Malong had suffered serious high blood pressure while he was in Yirol.”

Kiir told reporters last week that Malong was “in fighting mood” and this affected his health.

Sunday's meeting between President Kiir and four groups led by Eastern Lakes State governor Bor Philip Wutchok Bor, a delegation from Juba, which included Malong's personal friends headed by South Sudan ambassador to Russia Telar Ring Tekpiny Deng, a delegation from Gogrial State led by Governor Gregory Deng Kuac and a delegation from Greater Aweil States which included Malong's own family members was meant to iron out the differences that led to the former army chief of staff leaving the capital Juba after being fired as top army officer on Tuesday.

The president agreed to meet Malong and “pardoned those [army] generals and other officers and non-commissioned officers who accompanied Malong when he fled Juba last week.

“That he [President Kiir] will be reflecting on the request by the delegation to allow General Malong to leave the country or to where appropriate seek further medical attention,” the statement added.

The former army chief returned to Juba on Saturday to “listen to those who called him”, but insisted on “going home” in Awiel after being relieved of his duties.

He told reporters it was his “choice to go home.”

“I am somebody who is having a good family. I want to live with my family if I am not asked to do anything for the nation. I should do something for myself,” he told journalists at his thunderous reception at Juba airport on Saturday.

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Ivory Coast's two main cities are hit by gunfire, as a mutiny in the army enters its fourth day.

May 15, 2017 (BOR) - A major cattle raid allegedly carried out by the Murle tribesmen occurred Saturday as preparations were underway to call back youth from Murle land.

The map of Jonglei state in red

Sources from Duk county said there were few youth in the cattle camp when the raiders attacked.

“The youth were no there, only few old man were herding the cattle. But we managed to recover a half of the total number raided, and we are still on run an attempt to get them back”, a youth from Pangagoor in Twic East county said Sunday.

Such attacks and counterattacks had increased over the last three months between Dinka Bor and Murle when the Dinka Bor youth went to the Murle land, claiming to recover their stolen herds of cattle and children. This aggravated the tribal conflict between the two ethnic communities who had been at war for more than 80 years.

The country first vice president, Taban Deng Gau, who led a government delegation to Jonglei and Boma states, to hold talks on the way forward to create, told the Jonglei state government and communities leaders on Friday in Bor, before he left to juba on the following day, that ceasefire must be signed for peace talks to begin.

Taban also said the strong police should be deployed in the regions, after the agreement to monitor the peace at the borders.

“For peace to come, there must very strong policing. I went to Pibor, we have agreed that there must be peace. For this peace needs to be monitored. We need about 2,000 police to operation between Jonglei, Lou and Pibor, to monitor the criminal activities at the border. We need you to support us on this. Let there be peace so that people go about their normal life, looking after their goats and cattle. The government should build schools for Bor, Murle and Lou," said Gai.

He added, "Water point must be created up there so that people settle. Juba-Bor must be opened and will not be closed anymore. You will return to your villages in Makuach and Anyidi and so on, and Murle will also return to their villages”.

Six children were abducted by the Murle youth at the islands in Mar, one man injured near Bor and two others killed in Anyidi in the same week the first vice president was in Bor and Pibor. People wonder how the ceasefire will be respected by both sides.

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May 14, 2017 (JUBA) – A United Nations panel of experts has accused Ukraine of supplying the young nation with weapons.

Arms and light weapons have been used by both warring parties in South Sudan to commit abuses (Photo courtesy of SSANSA)

The U.N report, for instance, mentioned the case of an Ilyunshinil-76 aircraft that was transported from Ukraine to Uganda on January 27, 2017.

Allegations in the report, if confirmed, would largely put blame on Ukraine for perpetuating the conflict in the East African country, now in its fourth year.

Border areas between South Sudan, Sudan and Uganda were key entry points for arms to Juba, the U.N panel of experts report stated.

Media reports say the plane's manifest indicated that it contained two L-39 jets and engines provided by Musket OU, a company based in Tallinn, and that the flight was operated by the Ukranian defense ministry.

“The Ukrainian Government confirmed that the two jets were listed as being operated by the Ugandan military and that the end user certificates indicated they were to be used only for pilot training,” partly reads a section of the U.N reported quoted in media outlets.

The experts, in the report, further said they were investigating if the planes were taken to war-torn South Sudan following reports that an aircraft with obscure markings was parked at Juba airport.

Also being investigated, the U.N panel of experts said in the report, is a Hungarian fighter jet pilot, Tibor Czingali, contracted by the Ugandan Air Force, but believed to be flying a South Sudan aircraft.

According to the U.N panel of experts, recently received documents from a confidential source detailed a contract, signed in June 2014 by two National Security Service officers for a company based in the Seychelles to provide weapons to the South Sudanese Internal Security Bureau, headed by Akol Koor.

A confidential U.N report released in March slammed the government of South Sudan for spending more than half its budget on weapons and security as 100,000 people are dying of starvation.

The report also called for an arms embargo on South Sudan, a measure supported by United States, but rejected by the U.N Security Council during a vote in December, 2016.

"Weapons continue to flow into South Sudan from diverse sources, often with the coordination of neighboring countries," said the report by a panel of experts.

The experts also found a "preponderance of evidence (that) shows continued procurement of weapons by the leadership in Juba" for the army, the security services, militias and other "associated forces."

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Mai 14, 2017 (KHARTOUM) - UNAMID Joint Special Representative, Kingsley Mamabolo, has briefed the Sudanese government about the outcome of his recent meeting with armed groups in Darfur.

Mamabolo held a meeting with the Sudan Liberation Movement - Minni Minnawi (SLM-MM) and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) earlier this month in Paris to discuss ways to reach a peace deal in Darfur.

The South African diplomat was received by the Sudanese Foreign Ministry Under-Secretary Abdel-Ghani al-Nai'm on Sunday. The meeting discussed the recent political developments in the country following the formation of the national dialogue government.

Also, Mamabolo briefed al-Nai'm about his efforts to reach the leaders of armed groups in Darfur and his dialogue with them to join the peace process, further said the foreign ministry.

The two groups which are part of the peace process brokered by the African Union refuse to engage peace talks on the basis of the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur (DDPD), while Khartoum says the framework document is now part of the constitution and represents the pillar of peace in Darfur.

On 3 May 2017, the two groups handed over a position paper where they reiterated their commitment to reach a negotiated settlement with the government.

They further stressed on the need "to address the rules of procedure and other protocol issues for how negotiations on Darfur would proceed, so as to ensure parity and effective communication among the parties," says position paper seen by Sudan Tribune.

The two groups further said they want negotiations on substantive issues including the root causes of the conflict, and its consequences.

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May 14, 2017 (JUBA) – Norway has invited South Sudan government and members of the country's opposition parties for a reconciliation conference due next month, its special envoy to South Sudan, Erling Skojonsberg said.

Embassy of South Sudan in Oslo, Norway (Wikipedia Photo)

According to the Norwegian official, his country is ready to assist South Sudan in the implementation of the 2015 peace accord.

“The Norwegian government has promised to help South Sudan to implement the peace agreement in order to have a peaceful resolution to the conflict in this country,” Skojonsberg told reporters in the South Sudanese capital, Juba on Thursday last week.

The Norwegian special envoy also met South Sudan President Salva Kiir, during which they discussed the need for the implementation of a permanent ceasefire to end the violence in the young nation.

Norway played a key role in the negotiations for the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement between North and South Sudan to end the second Sudanese civil war. Oslo was also instrumental in supporting the negotiations between South Sudan government and its armed opposition faction, leading to the signing of the August 2015 peace deal on resolving the country's conflict.

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