Africa

Disturbed by the escalation of violence and subsequent suffering of civilians in South Sudan as a result of the recent government offensive, the United Nations today urged the Government and other warring parties to cease hostilities, uphold their responsibility to protect civilians.

April 28, 2017 (KHARTOUM) - The Sudanese President Omer al-Bashir Friday has called on the government and opposition parties to commit to a rational political practice after the formation of the new government during this week.

Al-Bashir, who addressed the opening session of the fourth convention of the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) in Khartoum, underscored its commitment to “move forward to achieve comprehensive and lasting peace through dialogue.”

He expressed hope that the holdout opposition would join the national consensus, praising efforts of the political forces and civil society organisations that participated in the national dialogue and produced the National Document.

The Sudanese president said “we look forward to seeing a rational political practice during the second phase of the dialogue”, saying the government and the opposition must act responsibly to create an effective democracy.

He pointed they are committed to drafting the permanent constitution and creating the broadest political and community participation, disclosing his party is preparing studies to draft the permanent constitution and promote political plurality and peaceful transformation of power.

Al-Bashir renewed commitment to go ahead with the implementing the state reform programme to achieve the comprehensive renaissance, saying this could only be reached by strengthening the civil institutions and on top of them the political parties.

He stressed the government of national concord will be announced next week amid hopes to achieve security and stability, saying Sudan's relations with Europe and the United States has improved through serving mutual interests.

Al-Bashir further called on the Sudanese to support the upcoming government for the best implementation of the dialogue outcome, saying the new government will achieve aspirations of the Sudanese.

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 opposition groups boycotted the process 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 28, 2017 (JUBA) - The Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (JMEC) Friday called on the South Sudanese army to immediately stop attacks in the restive Upper Nile region saying it bears the responsibilities of the violence that displaced 25,000 civilians.

The very strongly worded warning issued JMEC chairman Festus Mogae was issued following large-scale attacks carried out by the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) on the rebel position of rebel positions in Kodok and Aburoc, ethnic Shilluk areas.

Mogae said he was pleased to hear that the SPLA troops are under control as it was stated on Thursday by the military spokesperson who was reacting to a previous statement made by the JMEC chairman saying that the central command and control of its troops might have broken down.

“If that control is in place, then once again we call upon the SPLA specifically, and all armed forces and groups, to stop all offensive operations immediately, bring all violence and displacement of civilians to an end and implement the ceasefire as set out in the 2015 Agreement," he said.

He further warned that the government will be held accountable for the ongoing violence and the gross human rights violations on the civilian population.

“If command and control are still in place and hostilities do not end then we will know who is responsible for ignoring our demands for a cessation of violence, perpetuating violence and conflict, the displacement of civilians, and the human rights violations taking place around the country under their watch,” he said.

Since November last year, UN officials warned against the continuation of the war in South Sudan saying violence is escalating along ethnic lines. Also, December, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations warned against genocide saying all its ingredients were there.

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April 28, 2017 (JUBA) – On Friday, the South Sudanese army said it would continue to camp and patrol the streets of the Juba, until the fear of the rumours of the peddling coup allegations stopped.

“The South Sudan Liberation Army (SPLA) forces and other organised security forces will not pull out from the streets until the roots of the coup allegation are stemmed from the source. The organised forces will not leave unless the destabilising rumours stop,” said Col. Santo Domic on Friday.

The military spokesman said the army and other organised forces had been deployed to provide the adequate security and protection to the civilians in town, along with their property.

Domic described the reports that claimed that President Salva Kiir wanted to step down from power allowing the army to take over as a lie, a “deliberate and calculated campaign of calumny aimed at misleading the public and cause disaffection between the civil population and the troops.”

The general command wished to emphatically state that no such plan had been put place.

“Above all, the SPLA remains committed to providing aid to civil authority as enshrined in the Constitution of the Republic of South Sudan and wishes to assure the public of the Chief of Army staff's unalloyed commitment to protect lives and property whenever called upon to do so in line with extant provisions of the law,” added the Col. Domic.

The Col. went on to reassure the people of South Sudan that the SPLA remained a national institution that emphasised peace, unity and mutual coexistence regardless of and religious, ethnic or tribal differences.

He continued to add “any attempt by any individual or group of persons to associate the military and indeed the SPLA with such will be a total waste of time, energy and resources. We are proud professionals bound by discipline, unflinching love, loyalty, esprit-de-corps and love for our colleagues and our country.”

Col. Santo Domic warned the mischief makers to desist their unpatriotic acts.

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April 28, 2017 (KHARTOUM) - A sixth humanitarian relief caravan including 1068 tonnes of sorghum Friday has been dispatched from the capital of Sudan's North Kordofan state, El Obeid to the needy population in South Sudan, said a Sudanese humanitarian official.

Humanitarian aid commissioner Ahmed Babiker al-Hassan has told the official news agency SUNA that the higher and regional committees to deliver the food aid to the affected civilians in South Sudan are working hard to transport the assistance prior to the rainy season.

He pointed that the fifth batch of the relief included 807 tonnes, saying the rugged roads hinder the flow of food assistance to South Sudan.

In February, three United Nations agencies declared an outbreak of localised famine in several areas in the young nation, saying an additional one million people were on the brink of starvation.

On 30 March, the World Food Programme (WFP) began providing food aid to South Sudan using a new corridor opened by Sudan. The new route enables transport of food items overland from El Obeid in central Sudan to Bentiu in South Sudan's Unity state.

In July 2014, Juba and Khartoum signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to open a humanitarian corridor to deliver food assistance to vulnerable South Sudanese through the River Nile or by road. Last January, the agreement was extended for a six month period.

Earlier this month, Sudan said it doesn't rule out to open an Airbridge to deliver food assistance to South Sudan during the rainy season revealing a proposal to open a third road corridor to transport aid to the needy population in the war-torn nation.

South Sudan became the world's newest nation after declaring independence from Sudan in 2011. However, in 2013 the country was plunged into civil war.

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April 28, 2017 (KHARTOUM) - Representatives of the African Union chief mediator Thabo Mbeki Thursday in Khartoum have started consultations with government officials and opposition leaders on the peace talks and national dialogue.

The African Union representative in Khartoum, Mahmoud Kan and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) representative Lesane Johannes have met with the government chief negotiator for the talks on the Two Areas Ibrahim Mahmoud Hamid.

They also discussed with the head of opposition's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), Mayada Swar al-Dahab and the chairman of the opposition alliance Future Forces of Change (FFC) Ghazi Salah al-Din Attabani the peace talks.

In statements to Sudan Tribune, Swar al-Dahab said she made some proposals to make a breakthrough in the peace talks between the government and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/North (SPLM-N).

She stressed the importance to open the humanitarian track, pointing to the need to put pressure on all parties to achieve just, sustainable and comprehensive peace.

Also, the meeting discussed the impact of national dialogue outcome on the various tracks of peace talks, expressing fear that dialogue recommendations wouldn't be adequately implemented.

Meanwhile, the FFC spokesperson Hassan Mohamed Ahmed said the African officials discussed with Attabani the political process in Sudan, pointing the latter made some proposals to ensure the national dialogue is “genuine and neutral”.

The African officials are expected to meet the high committee for the implementation of the national dialogue outcome and the head of the opposition National Umma Party (NUP) al-Sadiq al-Mahdi and the internal groups of the opposition umbrella Sudan Call.

The African Union is brokering peace talks between the Sudanese government and opposition including the armed groups in Darfur, South Kordofan and Blue Nile states.

The government and Sudan Call signed in March and August 2016 the Roadmap Agreement brokered by the AUHIP including several steps towards their participation in a national constitutional process inside Sudan.

However, the parties failed to sign a cessation of hostilities and humanitarian agreements that are seen crucial before to move forward in the roadmap implementation process.

On Monday, SPLM-N announced they agreed with the African Union chief mediator, Thabo Mbeki, to postpone peace talks to next July.

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April 28, 2017 (JUBA) - South Sudanese government army (SPLA) Friday has gained control of the headquarters of armed opposition forces, displacing over 25,000 civilians without humanitarian assistance.

Former rebel leader Johnson Olony speaks to the press upon arrival at Juba international airport on 13 June 2013 (ST)

The SPLA spokesperson, Colonel Santo Domic said government forces took Kodok town on Wednesday after three days of fighting with armed opposition fighters under the overall command of Johnson Olony, who allied himself to the SPLM-IO led by the exiled former First Vice President, Riek Machar.

The military spokesperson said they were forced to take the town because they have reports that civilians trapped in the rebel-held areas were starving and the government was being blamed for denying humanitarian access to the place.

Ten days ago a group of 10 Shilluk tribal leaders in the Upper Nile accused Olony of killing officers from the Agwelek section of the Shilluk tribe in Panyikang County. The rebel general also belongs to the same tribal section.

Gen. Johnson Colony and his troops joined the SPLA in 2013 when he returned from Sudan after accepting a presidential amnesty. However he joined the SPLM-IO in July 2015.

In April 2015, Johnson Colony defected and captured the capital of the oil-rich Upper Nile state, Malakal, and Melut, headquarters of Melut county which is adjacent to the main oilfields of Paloch, in joint operations with SPLA-IO rebels before the towns were retaken by the government.

The international medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors without Borders on Wednesday announced that nearly 25,000 people have been displaced by intense fighting between in Kodok between the government forces and the rebel fighters.

"The humanitarian organisations that have, up until now, been providing essential medical services, water, food, non-food items, and shelter have had to temporarily suspend activities on the west bank of the Nile because of the increasing insecurity," further said Marcus Bachmann head of MSF mission in South Sudan

The statement expressed deep concern for those who would be forced to trek across the border to Sudan in search of safety in refugee camps if they do not get protection.

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