Africa

Do you have any questions about how the UK elections will affect Africa?

All schools on the island of Zanzibar are closed temporarily due to flooding after heavy rains.

The 3,700-year-old chamber contained jars likely filled with the organs of King Emnikamaw's daughter.

Saxophone player Femi Kuti narrowly missed out on setting a new record for playing a single note, but says he will try again to break the 47 minutes and 5 seconds target.

May 10, 2017 (NYALA) - 13 people have been killed in fresh clashes between Salamat and Habbaniya tribes in Buram locality, 90 km south of Nyala, the capital of South Darfur.

Habbaniyah tribe gunmen carried out an attack on At-Tays area of Buram locality which is inhabited by the Salamat tribe, a local official told Sudan Tribune under the cover of anonymity, adding that the number of dead was 13 people and 17 injured.

He pointed out that the tension in the area is still high, calling for the deployment of more security forces to control the situation before it worsens and goes out of hands.

The official who is not authorised to speak to the press said the conflict which was started by a cattle raid is now turned into a "tribal crisis that is the most dangerous of its kind".

"There are tribal crowds that are gathering to prepare for a decisive battle. The state security committee must take immediate decisions to put an end to this conflict by applying the emergency law without delay to spare the area a disaster," he stressed.

On 29 April, 19 people were killed and 19 others injured in clashes between Salamat and Habbaniya tribesmen in Buram.

The Salamat reportedly had stolen 150 heads of cows from Habbaniya. Further, they killed 19 Habbaniya people who tracked down the culprits to retrieve the cows.

Dozens of people have been killed and hundreds displaced in violent clashes between Salamat and Habbaniya tribes during the past few years. Clashes between the two sides are usually caused by the theft of cattle.

Since July 2014, the governor of South Darfur Adam Mahmoud Jar al-Nabi, declared an indefinite emergency situation in the state, including a curfew from 07:00 pm to 07:00 am (local time) in Nyala.

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May 10, 2017 (KAMPALA) – A South Sudanese lawyer, Santino Wani has file a petition in the East African Court of Justice (EACJ), saying the manner in which South Sudan selected it seven members to the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) was “unconstitutional”.

On 11 March, 2017, South Sudan President Salva Kiir appointed seven persons to represent the young nation in the East African legislative body, with four from the country's ruling party, two from the armed opposition faction (SPLM-IO) and one from other political parties.

This action, according to the petitioner, seriously contravened the provision of Article 50 of the East African Community (EAC) treaty, which requires member states to elect representatives to EALA.

“It therefore need our attention to file notice of motion as interest parties to challenge the constitutionality of such decision,” said Wani, in an email to Sudan Tribune.

The lawyer petitioned South Sudan's attorney general, the speaker of South Sudan's national assembly and the EAC's secretary general.

Meanwhile, the East African Court of Justice has given the respondents 45 day to file their responses to the filed petition.

South Sudan became a member of the regional body on 15 April, 2016, five years after it gained its independence from neighbouring Sudan.

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May 10, 2017 (KHARTOUM) – The United Nations independent expert on the situation of human rights in the Sudan, Aristide Nononsi, is due to visit the country from 11-21 May to carry out his fourth mission to the country so as to continue his engagement with the Sudanese authorities and discuss the implementation of his recommendations.

UN independent expert on the human rights situation in Sudan Aristide Nononsi (UNAMID Photo)

“I will follow up with the Government of the Sudan on issues of concern that I identified during my mission in February 2017, and discuss the status of implementation of the recommendations contained in my report of September 2016 to the Human Rights Council,” Nononsi said in a statement issued on Tuesday.

The expert is expected to follow up on the implementation of the recommendations made by other human rights mechanisms, including those from the Universal Periodic Review (UPR), during his visit.

The UPR a unique process which involves a review of the human rights records of all U.N member states by other states, in order to improve the human rights situation in all countries and address human rights violations wherever they occur.

According to the U.N. the independent expert on Sudan will meet with relevant stakeholders, including the Sudanese authorities, civil society actors, academia, community leaders, members of the diplomatic corps, and UN entities to ensure all relevant information is reflected in his next report to the U.N Human Rights Council (HRC).

As part of his eleventh day visit, Nononsi, who was invited by the Sudanese government, will hold meetings in Khartoum and Blue Nile.

Meanwhile the independent expert is expected to present his findings and recommendations to the U.N Human Rights Council in September 2017.

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May 10, 2017 (JUBA) – On Tuesday evening, General James Ajongo was appointed the Chief of General Staff of the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA).

His designation sparked panic and fear as the new changes could cause a rebellion after Ajongo's predecessor, General Paul Malong Awan, left town in the middle of the night.

The newly appointed army general took oath of office before the President and the Vice-President James Wani Igga at the presidential palace on Wednesday.

During his pledge Gen. Ajongo promised to work hard towards restoring law and order in the country for the return of peace and stability.

“I know it is a difficult task because the country is in conflict within itself, but making use of our good human resource and my colleagues, I believe that they are the right people in the right positions who will be able to manage the situation, getting us out of this conflict,” said the General after he was sworn in.

He went on to put emphasis on the fact that it was the responsibility of the nation's army to protect the people.

In statements to the United Nation's Radio Miraya from Rumbek, Malong described the new army Chief as “honest person” and stressed that he is his relative.

“I congratulated him, in fact, he is from my area, and he is my relative. We have blood relations and he is an honest and good guy. He is capable,” he said about the new army chief of staff.

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May 10, 2017 (KHARTOUM) - A Sudanese official Wednesday said an Egyptian military patrol has fired at a group of miners at Ibrahim Hussein mine near Wadi al-Aalagi inside the Sudanese territory pointing that one of the miners was injured during the shooting.

The semi-official Sudan Media Center (SMC), a website closely linked to the Sudanese security services, quoted an unnamed official as saying the patrol attacked the miners during their leisure time at noon and tracked them down by an Egyptian Land Cruiser vehicle.

He pointed that a Sudanese miner by the name of Salim Sighayroon was injured in his hand during the attack, saying the Egyptian patrol took him to the command of the 115 border guards battalion.

According to the SMC, the injured miner has been interrogated by an Egyptian officer inside the Egyptian territory before he was later released, saying Sighayroon was treated after he crossed the border and “a fragment was pulled out of his right hand”.

The SMC further said that five Land Cruiser military vehicles belonging to the Egyptian border guards came to Ibrahim Hussein mine several days prior to the incident and claimed the mine is owned by the Egyptian government, pointing they threatened to arrest the miners.

In December 2016, an Egyptian force attacked a traditional mining site owned a by a Sudanese miner in Al-Alagi valley, in Tharyira area of the Red Sea State, and detained 45 Sudanese miners and seized their drilling machine. Also, in August 2015, Egyptian authorities released 37 miners after being held for 5 five months on charges of cross-border infiltration.

Tensions between Khartoum and Cairo have escalated following the former's decision to restrict imports of Egyptian farming products which was reciprocated by Cairo's decision to raise residency fees for Sudanese living in Egypt.

Also, Sudan indicated that it would take some measures to end the Egyptian presence in the disputed area of Halayeb triangle after some Egyptian media outlets launched a campaign ridiculing Sudan's cultural monuments.

On 25 April, the Egyptian authorities denied entry and deported journalist Iman Kamal al-Din from Al-Sudani newspaper just 24 hours after a similar move against journalist Al-Tahir Satti of Al-Intibaha daily.

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May 10, 2017 (WAU) – The International Organization for Immigration (IOM) said its team had been deployed to Jonglei, South Sudan, late last month (25 April) in response to a cholera outbreak which affected over 230 people in Ayod County.

A woman is given a cholera vaccine at a medical camp run by the humanitarian organisation Medecins Sans Frontieres in Minkamman, in South Sudan's Lakes state (Photo: Getty Images)

The IOM team has been supporting local health partners to rapidly scale up the emergency and contain the outbreak in a hard-to-reach and often insecure area of the country.

Relief agencies have responded to cholera outbreaks across the country, with nine countries currently reporting active transmission, including three in Jonglei alone. Since the cholera outbreak was declared in June 2016, over 7,200 cases have been reported, including 229 deaths according to World Health Organization (WHO) and the South Sudan Ministry of Health.

IOM's response began after 140 suspected cases of cholera were reported in Ayod during the first weeks of April, putting the population of approximately 175,000 people at risk. Access to Ayod is difficult during the rainy season, and its proximity to the Nile River increases its vulnerability to outbreaks of water-borne diseases such as cholera.
Due to the ongoing crisis in Jonglei, health facilities in Ayod have not been functioning and face a lack of health workers and medical supplies.

IOM, working alongside the County Health Department and the Christian Mission for Development (CMD) in the town of Jiech has been facilitating surveillance, managing cases and improving community outreach efforts to stem the outbreak.

The majority of the suspected cholera cases come from communities living in cattle camps along the river. IOM has established oral rehydration points in three hotspot areas to increase access to treatment.

“Conditions are extremely difficult for families in Jiech,” explains Carol Kipsang, an IOM health officer and nurse. “We met one mother who was caring for her newborn and her sister's child after her sister died from cholera two weeks ago in her community. The young mother walked one hour to the IOM clinic to receive treatment for the children and seek nutritional support for her malnourished daughter.”

To ensure access to supplies required for a cholera response, the WHO has provided response kits, medication and equipment for the oral rehydration points and cholera treatment units.

The IOM team has also delivered essential medications to treat other common illnesses during the mission.

To date, IOM has reported treating at least 40 people suffering from cholera symptoms and conducted nearly 2,400 health consultations. The team plans to hand over operations to CMD in the coming days but will continue providing additional supplies for the on-going response.

Through the USAID Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance Rapid Response Fund (RRF), IOM will continue to support CMD's response in Ayod, as well as Sudan Medical Care in Duk County, Jonglei, where over 380 suspected cholera cases have been reported. The RRF continues to support health partners in Yirol East, where health agencies have been responding to a cholera outbreak since February.

Elsewhere, an IOM water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) team has responded to suspected cases of cholera in Kopoeta, Eastern Equatoria, through hygiene promotion activities aimed at mitigating the spread of the disease. The team deployed on 4 May and immediately began recruiting hygiene promoters from the local community to ensure a quick and effective response after several suspected cases were reported in the area.

Since the cholera outbreak began in 2016, IOM has responded in remote locations and displacement sites throughout South Sudan to manage cases and mitigate the further spread of the disease. On a daily basis, teams continually conduct health and hygiene promotion activities to ensure vulnerable populations have access to basic information to keep their families healthy despite displacement and difficult living conditions.

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May 10, 2017 (KHARTOUM) - The director of the secretariat of the East African Emergency Forces (ISAF), Abdalla Omer, said arrangements are underway to conduct the “multi-polar peacekeeping” exercise in Khartoum in November.

SAF troops march during the concluding ceremony of Northern Thunder in Saudi Arabia on March 12, 2016 (ST Photo)

Omer, who is visiting Sudan for the first time, Wednesday has discussed with Sudan's state defence minister, Lieutenant General Ali Mohamed Salem, plans that would be executed by the ISAF in the coming period.

He told reporters that his visit to Khartoum comes within the framework of coordinating efforts of member states to support programmes and meet their financial and political commitments towards the ISAF.

According to Omer, the visit also aims to the arrangements for the military exercise that will be held in Sudan in November, praising Sudan's support for the ISAF programmes.

For his part, Salem stressed Sudan's support for ISAF, hailing the latter efforts to maintain security and stability in the region.

Last month, ISAF commander, Brig. Gen. Alaa al-din Osman Mirghani, confirmed completion of technical and logistical preparations to conduct the military exercise in Sudan's Red Sea region.

He said the exercise aims to ensure full coordination among the forces to enhance the spirit of participation and harmony to achieve readiness for intervention.

In December 2015, ISAF said that 5000 troops are ready to be deployed, if necessary, in order to intervene to preserve and support regional peace.

ISAF which includes 10 east African nations was established by the African Union in 2004 and it consists of military, police and civilian components. The force is part of Africa's standby forces.

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May 10, 2017 (JUBA) - The former chief of general for South Sudan army (SPLA) General Paul Malong Awan has denied intention to rebel against the government of President Salva Kiir after his sack on Tuesday.

Awan made his denial in a speech delivered at a public rally held in Yirol town, Eastern Lakes State, where he suspended his travel to his home region of Aweil.

Following his abrupt departure from Juba on Tuesday following his removal rumours had been circulating in the capital that Awan would lead a rebellion against Kiir.

The circumstances under which he left the national capital in the night remains unclear and no one knows what prompted him to leave before handing over the office. Security analysts attributed the cause of the removal to tensions between the army under Malong and the National Security Services under Akol Koor have split government, with both officials competing for more control and influence.

The internal security bureau and a section of the army have airlifted forces and deployed them to Rumbek where local authorities have been instructed to fight him if he insists going home.

However, the state governor and other officials successfully persuaded him to speak to the nation if he was not having ill intention.

In his speech, Awan said he was on his way home to Aweil and was surprised he was being followed after he was relieved of his duties. He said whatever was being said about him in regards to his intentions were just rumours and that he only wants peace to prevail in the country.

He further said he has never rebelled against the SPLA or the people of South Sudan and that he was not about to do that.

Also, the former army commander congratulated his successor, General James Ajonga Mawut, pointing out that not only was the replacement from his area but also a blood relative to him. General Ajonga, he said, was a professional and patriotic soldier.

Speaking to the press in Juba on Wednesday, the army spokesperson Colonel Santo Domic Chol told reporters the former chief of general staff has left Juba with no intention to cause a war but unnamed people want to cause a problem.

“Yes, the former Chief of General Staff Paul Malong is not in Juba. He has left Juba to avoid tensions. Some people may go to him and say something that may provoke tension. This is what he did not want and is the reason he decided to leave Juba, he is not planning to rebel, not at all,” said Chol.

The military spokesperson said the military leadership was in contact with him and were planning to return him to Juba. He has now been sent the head of military intelligence, General Marial Nuor and other senior military leaders believed to be people who could persuade him to stop moving further.

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Can the latest international conference help the troubled state?

United Nations humanitarian workers are responding to a growing cholera outbreak in Ayod, the Greater Upper Nile region of South Sudan, one of multiple counties throughout the country where the disease has spread since June 2016.

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has strongly condemned an attack against a convoy of the UN peacekeepers in the Central African Republic (CAR) that left four dead, one missing and 10 others evacuated.

Twenty-one Chibok girls released in October 2016 have not been reunited with their families.

As they prepare to leave school, Tanzanian conjoined twins, Consolata and Maria, share their dreams for the future.

The newly-elected president vows to take his country's relationship with Africa into a new direction.

Drawing attention to the harrowing traumas of child victims of sexual violence, a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has called for greater recognition of the fact that it is “not OK” for children to be touched inappropriately as well as for raising awareness among youngsters that under-age sex can lead to pregnancy or sexually transmitted diseases.

May 8, 2017 (KHARTOUM) - Sudanese internal opposition umbrella National Consensus Forces (NCF) Monday reiterated commitment to topple the regime calling to resist what it described as “American conspiracy in Sudan”.

Farouk Abu Issa (R-C) chairs a meeting of the opposition National Consensus Forces on 10 September 2014 (ST)

In a statement extended to Sudan Tribune Monday, the NCF said it “adheres to overthrow the regime as a single option to achieve the people's legitimate aspirations for freedom, democracy, peace, justice, unity and progress”.

It called for broadening the opposition front by bringing together all national forces which seek to overthrow the regime through peaceful and democratic political means including youth and women groups, students and other opposition forces.

The opposition alliance said the regime continues to opt for the security solution, pointing it will seek to create further crises that saddled the Sudanese people with war, hunger, poverty and terrorism.

The NCF renewed rejection for the government-led national dialogue, saying the process, after three years, failed to achieve peace, democratic transformation and progress.

The statement pointed that the regime's submission to the United States political, security and economic conditions poses a great danger to the Sudanese people legitimate aspirations, saying the U.S. strategy contradicts with the higher national interests of the free peoples who aspire to achieve unity, freedom and progress.

“We must expose the international and regional plans in Sudan, which seek to subjugate the countries of the region by weakening and fragmenting them,” read the statement.

Last January, Washington eased the two-decade economic and trade sanctions imposed on Sudan. The decision came as a response to the collaboration of the Sudanese government on various issues including the fight against terrorism.

Next June, several U.S. administration agencies will decide to confirm the decision of President Obama to permanently lift sanctions on Sudan or to maintain it.

Also, there were signs of rapprochement between Washington and Khartoum including the appointment of a new military attaché at the U.S. embassy in Khartoum and the recent participation of Sudan's army Chief of General Staff in the meeting of the US Africa Command known as “AFRICOM” in Germany.

Since January 2014, Sudan's President Omer al-Bashir has been leading a national dialogue process whose stated aims are to resolve the armed conflicts, achieve political freedoms, alleviate poverty and the economic crisis, and address the national identity crisis.

Last October, the political forces participating in the 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 NCF, which gathers mainly center-left, and leftist parties, since the launch of the national dialogue, rejected to join the process, asking to include rebel groups, release political freedoms and to free political detainees and prisoners.

(ST)