Africa

“We can’t afford to keep fleeing,” said “Halima,” a 35-year-old mother of four who recently fled fighting in the contested town of Galkayo in central Somalia. “Those fighting might have big houses to hide in, but we live in tents and the bullets can easily reach us.” 

Halima (not her real name) is among thousands of Somalis affected by renewed violence in Galkayo, stemming from conflict between the Galmudug interim administration that was established in 2015, and Puntland – a conflict that is deeply rooted in regional and clan rivalries. The town of Galkayo lies on the fault line of that conflict. 

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Internally displaced Somalis stand outside a makeshift Muslim Madrasa (Islamic school) at the Halabokhad IDP settlement in Galkayo, northwest of Somalia's capital Mogadishu, July 20, 2011.

© 2011 Reuters

On October 7, 2016, forces from Puntland, which controls the north of the town, and Galmudug, which controls the south, clashed in the Garsoor area where a “green line” divides the two administrations. The outbreak of fighting comes nearly a year after another face-off between the two regional forces. Once again, civilians are paying a heavy price. Halima had already fled a year ago from fighting in the Garsoor area, which hosts many displacement camps including her own.

It is not clear yet how many people have been injured or killed in the fighting but medical officials told Human Rights Watch that at least 22 people have been killed, including at least four civilians, and dozens have been injured. Doctors say the injuries are mainly bullet wounds. Najma (not her real name), a resident of a displacement camp, saw two young men shot on October 7, as they fled the camp for safety; a third was shot dead. Residents in the town report hearing heavy weaponry during the three weeks of fighting.  

The fighters on both sides appear to show little regard for civilians or their property. Halima said that on October 7, “the bullets were flying everywhere from early in the morning until night time” across the Donyale camp where she lives, hitting several shops and tents. In south Galkayo, the director of the hospital told Human Rights Watch that during the week of October 10, they moved patients to a facility eight kilometers outside of the town as the fighting came dangerously close. The head of the main hospital in Puntland-controlled Galkayo said that on October 10, a man visiting the hospital’s morgue was wounded by a stray bullet.  

Galkayo is emptying out. According to the United Nations, at least 75,000 people have fled, including those living in displacement camps. Halima and Najma are among those who have sought safety elsewhere, finding refuge with relatives or sleeping outdoors in displacement camps on the outskirts of the town. Three weeks on, with reports of more people fleeing heavy fighting over the last 48 hours, their fate, like many others, is unclear. 

The suffering inflicted on civilians is largely ignored. Those in control should ensure civilians are protected from harm and that humanitarian aid – water, food, shelter – can reach all those in need. Those responsible for abuses owe the victims adequate compensation. Puntland and Galmudug officials need to make the safety of the population central, not an afterthought.

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October 21, 2016 (KHARTOUM) - Sudanese President Omer al-Bashir Friday said he would give Juba two months to implement the Cooperation Agreement signed four years ago, and threatened to reconsider the deal.

Speaking before a meeting of the National Congress Party (NCP) Shura Council in Khartoum, President Omer al-Bashir pointed to his government's keenness to achieve peace and stability in South Sudan and to establish good relations the new neighbour after its secession in 2011.

"We are keen to relationship and peace with the Republic of South Sudan. But they must also implement what they are committed to," he said.

"We have been patient long enough, but the next December will be the accounting date, either we agree on the implementation or we will turn the page," he warned.

Bashir statements come after a statement by the U.S. Department of State saying it has received "credible reports" that Juba continues to support and harbour the Sudanese rebel movements.

The statement further urged the South Sudanese government to meets its commitments towards Khartoum, stressing that the presence of Sudanese armed groups in South Sudan, "and their involvement in South Sudan's internal conflicts, destabilizes both Sudan and South Sudan".

The Sudanese foreign ministry welcomed the American statement and called on Juba government to fulfill its recent commitments to prevent Sudanese rebels from carrying attacks from its territory and to expel them in line with the Cooperation Agreement of September 2012.

Also, the head of Darfur Peace Office, Amin Hassan Omer hailed the American statement describing it as an important step and constitutes additional pressure on the South Sudanese government to stop its support and to expel the rebel groups.

"It's the first time that the United States express their position (on the presence of Sudanese rebels) publicly through the media, which is a kind of pressure on the government of South Sudan to compel to international agreements calling for non-interference in the internal affairs of other states," Omer said.

The United Nations Mission in South Sudan, in the past, mentioned the participation of Sudanese rebel groups in the fight between the government and armed opposition groups in the Unity region. The SPLM-IO, also accused the sudanese groups of attacking their positions.

Juba support to the Sudanese armed groups constitutes "a violation of the terms of the Agreement for the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan," said the Department of State.

South Sudanese Presidential Advisor for Security Affairs, Gatluak, criticised Washington saying it undermines the ongoing efforts to handle the presence of Sudanese rebels in South Sudan.

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October 21, 2016 (JUBA) – A Swedish oil company, Lundin Petroleum, which operated in Sudan and the then Southern Sudan's oil rich Unity state in the past, has been investigated for being allegedly complicit in crimes against humanity.

An aerial view of an oil field near the town of Bentiu, Unity state (AP)

Lundin Petroleum is an independent oil and gas exploration and production company with core operations in Norway and South East Asia and in Sudan.

The investigation is a follow up of a similar case opened against the oil company six years agao. In 2010, prosecutors opened a preliminary investigation into Lundin Petroleum's activities in Sudan and South Sudan after a report by the European Coalition on Oil in Sudan (ECOS) said the company was possibly complicit in human rights abuses between 1997 and 2003.

Lundin Petroleum company's executives, Ian Lundin and Alex Schneiter, are reportedly being interrogated in Sweden for alleged complicity in war crimes in South Sudan. The investigation is an exemplary effort to seek accountability for corporate complicity in human rights abuses.

In a statement issued on Friday, one of the accusers, Reverend James Kuong Ninrew, said taking the Lundin Petroleum company to court for the alleged crimes was a right thing to do for the victims.

“Impunity and disregard for victims has been among the root causes of perpetuating violence in South Sudan. (…) I hope that Sweden's righteous intention to take Lundin executives to court will also produce satisfaction for the many people who have paid such a high price for Lundin's benefits,” Rev. James Kuong Ninrew said in Juba.

The indicted individuals, however, represent only a segment of those who have benefitted from Sudan and South Sudan's oil war that brought Lundin Petroleum fortune.

“Victims of the oil war are starting to claim their right to effective remedy. This is the time for the Swedish Government and Lundin Petroleum's shareholders to take responsibility and realize this right,” it said.

The Sudanese war profits, he added, made Lundin Petroleum's money-spinning investments in Norway possible and Lundin Petroleum's investors are standing accused of glossing over human rights abuses and indirectly benefitting from war and war crimes.

“Confronted with overwhelming evidence of callous behaviour by the company, its investors must finally start addressing the rights of victims,” the statement added.

“And particularly heavy responsibility lies with the Lundin family, that owns 30% of the company, and with the Swedish state, Lundin Petroleum's host and, through its pension funds, another major shareholder.”

The statement added that among those who have an old debt to pay are Swedbank Robur, with 5.8%, the second largest shareholder now, Skagen, Nordea, Handelsbanken, and the Norwegian Government through Norges Bank.

“Astonishingly, this year Statoil SA bought 20% of the shares, despite being fully informed about the company's past,” it added.

Inspite of their professed support for the UN Guiding Principles, it said, none of these shareholders have ever used their leverage to undo the company's dismal legacy.

Swedish prosecutors will question the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Chairman of the oil firm about possible crimes against international humanitarian law in Sudan, a company spokesman said on Friday.

"Personally, I am convinced the investigation will not lead to prosecution," Lundin Petroleum chairman, Ian Lundin, told a Swedish daily newspaper, Dagens Industri, on Friday.

"There are no grounds for the allegations," he said, adding that he had repeatedly asked the prosecutor to have an opportunity to answer his questions.

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October 21, 2016 (KHARTOUM) - The Sudan People's Liberation Movement -North (SPLM-N) Friday announced the suspension of negotiations with the Sudanese government over political settlement, and called for an international investigation of the use of chemical weapons in the war affected areas in Darfur, Blue Nile and South Kordofan.

SPLM-N leader Malik Agar (C) his deputy Abdel Aziz al-Hilu (L) and SG Yasir Arman pose for a picture in undisclosed location in the rebel controlled areas in March 2014 (AFP/Getty Photo)

However, the SPLM-N expressed readiness to continue talks for a cessation of hostilities and humanitarian access agreement with the Sudanese government under the African Union brokered process.

Following a report by Amnesty International accusing the Sudanese government of using chemical weapons in Jebel Marra, SPLM-N Secretary General Yasir Arman said his movement is considering to stop talks with Khartoum and demand the UN Security Council and the African Union Peace and Security Council to conduct an inquiry on the use of chemical weapons in Darfur, Blue Nile and South Kordofan.

The SPLM-N leadership on Friday said that the report of Amnesty International " uncovered the appalling horrors befalling innocent civilians caught in the grip of a genocidal war". The group further said that a doctor working in the rebel held areas in South Kordofan, Tom Catena, " had testified that he cared for victims who suffered paralysis, blurred vision, vomiting and some with diarrhoea."

Based on these reasons, the rebel group decided to freeze the political process brokered by the African Union High Level Implementation Panel (AUHIP) led by Thabo Mbeki for a political solution to end war and to pave the way for a comprehensive and inclusive constitutional conference.

"The SPLM-N leadership after internal consultations resolved the following: 1. An immediate suspension of political engagement with the Sudan government on all political matters, including national dialogue and peace political track negotiations.
2. The SPLM-N will be ready only to negotiate a humanitarian cession of hostilities that would address the humanitarian crisis and provide civilian protection," says the statement.

The armed groups in the Two Areas and Darfur and the National Umma Party (NUP) signed last August a plan for peace proposed by the African mediation but they failed to strike a deal on the humanitarian truce.

The SPLM-N's decision on the suspension of the political engagement comes after the failure of an informal meeting with the Sudanese government in Addis Ababa facilitated by the Ugandan government.

Also, it comes as the second term of U.S. President Barak Obama is coming to an end. The American administration has been actively backing the AUHIP in order to settle armed conflicts in Sudan and to consider the lift of sanctions.

Amnesty's report says that the Sudanese army had carried at least 30 chemical weapons attacks in the Jebel Marra area of Darfur since January 2016. Also it estimates that some 250 people were killed during these assaults.

The SPLM-N leadership urged the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to investigate the use of chemical weapons in three areas of Darfur, Nuba Mountains and Blue Nile; and called on the international community to support "this just demand".

On Wednesday 19 October, Sudan's Foreign Minister Ibrahim Ghandour denied the allegations, and said his government is not concerned by calls to probe the use of chemical weapons in Darfur.

Ghandour further said that these accusations aim only to sabotage Khartoum's efforts to improve relations with the international community.

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