Africa

October 15, 2016 (KHARTOUM) - The Secretary-General of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N), Yasir Arman said on Friday that the internal dialogue process didn't achieve peace and national consensus but also failed to give the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) an opportunity to normalize its relations with the international community.

At the closing session of the National Dialogue Conference on Monday, Khartoum's government parties and several political forces participating in the process approved the national document which constitutes the basis for drafting the permanent constitution. However, armed groups and opposition parties refused to join Khartoum process as they demand the government to end war and ensure freedoms in the country ahead of the dialogue.

In a statement extended to Sudan Tribune on Friday, Arman said that the national dialogue wrapped up with the continuation of war and ( President Omer) al-Bashir's threats to crush the (armed) movements, plus the complete absence of national consensus and the impossibility to normalize relations with the international community".

"So, what did the dialogue has achieved internally and externally?" He wondered.

He stressed that the dialogue failed to bring something new to support the economy and to end the political crisis. But rather, it empowered the president, reproduced totalitarianism and deepened the regime's crisis.

According to initial plans of the African Union High Level Implementation Panel (AUHIP), which mediates the peace talks for the Two areas and Darfur, the armed groups and holdout opposition groups had to join the internal dialogue after the signing of a humanitarian truce and a pre-dialogue meeting to agree on the confidence building measures.

However the failure to reach cessation of hostilities and humanitarian access agreements has forced the mediators to reconsider the peace roadmap.

SPLM-N Secretary-General praised what he called the “boycott" by the Thabo Mbeki, AUHIP head and the representative of UN Secretary-General for the dialogue meeting, stressing that the opposition Sudan Call forces were committed to their position and promises not to participate in the dialogue before the creation of a conducive environment ensuring political freedoms.

The Sudan Call forces have been recently criticised by their former allies in the National Consensus Forces (NCF) who accuse them of seeking to conclude with the regime an agreement that would not achieve democratic change.

Arman said the end of the internal dialogue offers a new opportunity for the opposition to unite its ranks away from the mistrust and scepticism. He reiterating his call for a dialogue among opposition groups on its unification to achieve change and to find an alternative to end war, bring democracy, stability and sustainable development.

(ST)

October 15, 2016 (JUBA) - South Sudan's rival factions have traded accusations over clashes in their respective positions near the Upper Nile capital, Malakal.

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

The spokesperson of armed opposition forces under the command of Johnson Olony in a statement issued a statement, claimed their position in the west bank of Malakal town was attacked at about 6:00pm by pro-government forces.

“Today evening at 6pm, our military positions near Wajwok and Lalo villages had been attacked by SPLA forces stationed in respective locations mentioned and heavy fighting is going on right now”, said Brig. Gen. Nyagwal Ajak Dengkak in a statement.

He blamed the attack on government forces, further claiming that pro-government forces had deployed helicopter gunships to Malakal town with the view to reinforce ground forces with air cover should their forces attempt to move on the town.

But the spokesman for South Sudan army, Lul Ruai Koang issued a statement on Saturday, saying he was not aware of the clashes said to have place near Malakal.

Koang claimed it was a tactic by the armed opposition forces allegedly aimed at carrying out attacks in the area, stressing that government forces were ready to control the situation in the event of security threats to peoples' lives and properties.

South Sudan's peace accord, signed in 2015, is considered fragile could derail the little progress so far made in recent months. The deal ended over 20 months of war.

The young nation descended into war in mid-December 2013 after President Salva Kiir accused his former deputy Riek Machar of a coup attempt.

Tens of thousands of people have been killed and millions displaced in South Sudan's worst ever violence since it broke away from Sudan in July 2011.

(ST)

October 15, 2016 (KHARTOUM) - The United Kingdom has urged the Sudanese government to allow the United Nations access to Jebel Marra area in Darfur to investigate allegations of chemical weapons use.

Sudan's Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Abdel-Ghani al-Naeem, shakes hand with Permanent Under-Secretary at the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office Sir Simon McDonald (ST Photo)

Last month, Amnesty International accused the Sudanese government forces of using chemical weapons repeatedly against civilians in Darfur over the past eight months, saying chemical attacks are believed to have killed up to 250 people.

However, Khartoum dismissed as “fabricated and unfounded accusations” Amnesty's allegations saying it aims to obstruct “the pioneering efforts” to achieve peace and stability and to promote reconciliation in Sudan.

In a statement extended to Sudan Tribune on Saturday, the British embassy in Khartoum said UK's Minister for Africa, Tobias Ellwood has expressed to Sudan's Foreign Ministry Under-Secretary Abdel-Ghani al-Na'im his “deep concern about the situation in Jebel Marra and called on the Sudanese Government to allow the UN and others full access to these areas to monitor events and look into allegations such as chemical weapons use.”

Intense fighting took place earlier this year between the Sudanese army and the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM-AW) led by Abdel-Wahid al-Nur in Jebel Marra areas forcing thousands of residents to flee the area.

Jebel Marra, which spans over three states including North, Central and South Darfur, is located at a water-rich area that is characterized by mild climate.

Meanwhile, the statement pointed that Al-Nai'm, who concluded a two-day visit to London for the second round of talks in the Sudan/UK strategic consultations, has discussed with Ellwood prospects of future bilateral ties between the two nations.

According to the statement, Ellwood stressed that “UK remains keen to see this relationship develop and to see the UK becoming a leading partner in the development of a peaceful and prosperous Sudan”.

He urged the Sudanese government “to seize the opportunity offered by the African Union Road Map to agree a cessation of hostilities in Darfur and the Two Areas”, calling on all parties “to enter an inclusive political dialogue about the future of the country”.

Last March, the African Union High-Level Implementation Panel (AUHIP) and the Sudanese government signed a framework agreement calling to stop war in Blue Nile, Darfur, and South Kordofan and to engage in the national dialogue process.

In August, four groups from the opposition umbrella Sudan Call including the National Umma Party (NUP) and three armed groups; Sudan People's Liberation Movement/North (SPLM-N), Sudan Liberation Movement - Minni Minnawi (SLM-MM) and Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) endorsed the deal.

The peace plan provides that the Sudanese governments and rebel groups should engage in talks to reach agreement on a cessation of hostilities and humanitarian access before the Sudan Call forces join the government-led national dialogue.

However, on 14 August following six days of talks in Addis Ababa, the armed movements and the government negotiating teams failed to conclude a deal on the security arrangements and humanitarian access prompting the mediation to suspend the talks indefinitely.

It's noteworthy that the strategic consultations meetings between the two countries started in March in Sudanese capital, Khartoum and considered the first talks of its kind at this level in 25 years.

Sudan and Britain agreed to exchange of visits at the level of senior officials from the two countries along with increasing cooperation in the fields of economy, investment and culture.

During his first visit to Khartoum last September, UK Special Representative for Sudan and South Sudan, Christopher Trott expressed his optimism about the relations between Khartoum and London and expressed hope to strengthening contacts between Sudanese and British peoples.

(ST)

October 15, 2016 (NYALA/ELFASHER) - Government-aligned militias in North and South Darfur states have continued to collect road tolls from passenger buses and commercial trucks at gunpoint in clear defiance of the presidential directives to stop this practice, said sources.

Fighters from the Rapid Support Forces sit in an armed vehicle in Nyala, south Darfur, displaying weapons they say they captured from the Justice and Equality Movement rebels on May 13, 2015 (AFP Photo/Ashraf Shazly)

During his visit to the five states of Darfur last April, President Omer al-Bashir warned militias against collecting illegal tolls and levies along the highways linking the various towns in the region.

He also instructed the concerned bodies to impose the authority of the state, saying his government would soon launch a plan to disarm tribal militias and restricts the use of weapons to the regular forces.

A reliable source told Sudan Tribune on the condition of anonymity that illegal toll collection points, widely known as “gateways”, have appeared for the first time in 2009 on the highway linking South Darfur's capital, Nyala to the town of Kass, 86 km west of Nyala, saying the militias set up 16 tents along the road to collect tolls.

He said these militias have fought alongside the government army against the rebel groups in Darfur, pointing the government rewarded these militias by allowing them to collect limited road tolls however the practice has expanded dramatically.

The same source stressed that unnamed local and state actors have vested interest in the continued existence of this phenomenon, pointing to the weakness and inability of both North and South Darfur governments to remove these “gateways”.

He added the federal government also doesn't want to take decisive measures that could adversely impact its alliance with these militias particularly as the conflict in Darfur was not completely settled.

Salih Mohamed Guma'a, a passenger buses owner in Nyala, told Sudan Tribune the militias set up more than 37 “gateways” to collect road tolls along the highway between Nyala and North Darfur capital, El-Fasher under the pretext that they are protect passengers against armed robbery.

He pointed out the militias collect more than 16,000 pounds (SDG) from passenger buses and commercial trucks daily, saying these levies put additional burden on the residents because it raise the price of commodities and bus tickets.

Guma'a further said the passenger buses union in South Darfur has repeatedly appealed to the government to remove those “gateways” but to no avail.

A bus driver named Hamid Sulieman said that 27 passengers were killed and injured during altercations with the gateways' militias, pointing they are waiting for the government to deal with this chaotic situation decisively.

“The gunmen usually threaten to kill drivers if they try to surpass the [gateway] tent without paying the prescribed levies … they have linked the safety and lives of passengers to a forcibly imposed sums,” he said.

In 2009, the former South Darfur governor Ali Mahomud issued a decision to remove all illegal gateways by force, however, several armed robbery incidents occurred just one week after they were removed forcing the government to retreat.

The imposition of illegal road tolls along the highway between El-Fasher and Kutum in North Darfur has led to a sharp rise in the ticket price from 50 to 150 pounds (SDG).

A local administration leader named Al-Tahir Ismail told Sudan Tribune that a number of the militias use their military vehicles to transport passengers and goods after passenger buses and commercial trucks decided to stop the business.

“Militias who set up random tents to [collect illegal tolls] claim they are affiliated with the border guards forces and also other unidentified gunmen have set up gateways to collect levies,” he said.

Last September, the then North Darfur deputy governor Adam al-Nahla issued a decision to remove all illegal gateways and stop collection of road tolls, saying it adversely impact the authority of the state and harms social ties among the residents.

He stressed that these illegal levies are not being deposited into the state's treasury.

For his part, member of the executive office of North Darfur's passenger buses trade union Mohamed Ahmed, said the militias imposed a 300 to 400 pounds toll on every single commercial truck travelling between El-Fasher and Kutum.

He stressed that militias affiliated with the government have again set up the gateways after they were removed for almost one year, pointing that four-wheel drive vehicles belonging to these militias have substituted passenger buses and commercial trucks which stopped working due to heavy tolls imposed on them.

The Darfur conflict started in February 2003 when two non-Arab African rebel groups took up arms for more power and resources.

The government responded with a counterinsurgency campaign in which a mostly Arab militia known as the Janjaweed has committed wide-scale abuses against people it says are allied to the rebels.

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

(ST)

October 15, 2016 (JUBA) - South Sudan's armed opposition leader, Riek Machar would only be allowed into the young nation if he denounces violence and allows the coalition government to implement the 2015 peace agreement, President Salva Kiir has said.

South Sudan President Salva Kiir (C) adresses a press conference together with FVP Riek Machar (R) and SVP James Wani at the State House on July 8, 2016 (Reuters Photo)

“The region should stand with the transitional government of national unity to implement the agreement on the resolution of the conflict in the republic of South Sudan. This was the agreement they [regional leaders and friends] made themselves despite our observations but we accepted because we wanted peace and stability in this country," said Kiir in the capital, Juba Saturday.

He added, "And I believe the events of July should themselves be proof of concerns which South Sudanese were raising. If they want this agreement to be implemented, they should allow the current first vice president and his team to work with me and other leaders ready to cooperate to implement this agreement."

The South Sudanese leader was speaking at an occasion he hosted at his residence. A number of with senior cabinet members, security and high-ranking military officers attended the event, a few days after rumour spread that the president had "died".

Kiir said Machar should denounce violence and remain outside the country during transitional national unity government era or return to South Sudan as a normal citizen.

“The President of the Republic and the government is very clear on the implementation of the peace agreement. But what is important in anything is building mutual trust and understanding. Riek Machar was acting like a co-president to President Salva Kiir. He was not acting like a vice president", the presidential advisor on decentralization and intergovernmental linkage, Tor Deng Mawien exclusively told Sudan Tribune Saturday.

"So it was difficult to proceed with the implementation of the peace agreement in this environment. That was there was no progress but now the new SPLM-IO leadership under Taban Deng Gai is doing well and the president should be allowed to implement the agreement," he added.

Machar left Juba after renewed clashes in July between his forces and those of President Kiir claimed over 300 lives and led to the fighters loyal to the former rebel leader fleeing the city. The fighting has resulted in a humanitarian crisis with people abandoning the city for fear of a return to war.

President Kiir relieved Machar of his post as vice president and appointed the armed opposition's former chief negotiator, Taban Deng Gai as first vice president in the interim government. Machar has, however, described Gai's appointment as "illegal".

The armed opposition group recently announced that it had officially dismissed all its senior members who have taken part in President Kiir's new government.

This came in a resolution passed by the political bureau meeting convened for three days in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, under the chairmanship of Machar.

In Article 2 (d) of the resolution, the armed opposition's political bureau resolved to “Call for reorganization of the SPLA (IO) so that it can wage a popular armed resistance against the authoritarian and fascist regime of President Salva Kiir in order to bring peace, freedom, democracy and the rule of law in the country.”

The opposition group called for rapid deployment of regional forces in order to salvage the peace agreement signed in August 2015.

(ST)

October 15, 2016 (BOR) - South Sudan Council of Churches (SSCC) has launched a peace and reconciliation project in Jonglei state to reduce the tension between the South Sudanese tribes who have been divided by December 2013 conflict.

Jonglei's episcopal church choir perform at the Dr John Garang Memorial University of Science and Technology on 22 September 2014 (ST)

The project is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) through the Catholic Relief Services (CRS).

The project was initiated by South Sudan's council of churches following a meeting conducted last year in Kigali, Rwanda, where 25 church leaders from South Sudan visited Rwanda, to learn how to create peace among the people, by replicating how Rwanda eradicated genocide from people's minds and created peace.

Isaac Nyiding, the Peace Regional Facilitator of greater Upper Nile, said during the meeting in Bor on Thursday that most of the peace work will be implemented by the Interchurch Committee in the states.

“Since there are churches spread all over South Sudan it would be very easy for us to implement this. Those churches will be implementing on the ground. Currently we have brought people from Duk, Kongor, Athoch and Malek. We got some people also from Akobo, who are attending with us,” said Nyiding.

The Bishop of Bor Diocese, Ruben Akuurdit, said South Sudan council of churches acts as a neutral body advocating for peace and reconciliation in the country.

“Guns in the hands of people is not solution, we have to disown guns and that why we come for peace building and when we build that peace and we put down guns, what next,” Akurdit wondered.

He suggested the church and the communities should bring up ways through which peace can be sustained in the states, suggesting that agriculture would be the best way to earn living, not through the use of guns.

“Because People use guns for their own survival there are other ways that we can live, we can cultivate we can even have our domestic animal by acquiring your domestic animals without taking somebody's cattle or goats by force. You can earn your money and they are available in the market,” Akurdit added.

(ST)

A US non-government organisation worker is reported to have been kidnapped in western Niger and taken towards the border with Mali.

Observers in Nigeria say it is unlikely that Boko Haram freed 21 of the Chibok schoolgirls while getting nothing in return, writes Martin Patience.

Countries meeting in Rwanda have agreed a "monumental" deal to phase out gases used in fridges that are worsening global warming.

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Kenya's Lands Minister and principal secretary in the Lands and Physical Planning Ministry welcome a group of women on October 13, 2016 who will climb Mount Kilimanjaro on October 14 as part of a campaign for land rights in Nairobi, Kenya.

© 2016 Reuters

As the issue of sexual harassment takes center stage in the US presidential election, many Africans were deeply shocked over sexist and offensive remarks today by one of Africa’s few democratically elected presidents.

Rather unusually for a politician’s spouse, Nigeria’s first lady, Aisha Buhari, publicly criticized her husband, President Muhammadu Buhari, and warned that she will not campaign alongside him for re-election again unless he reforms his leadership.  President Buhari, who was on an official visit to Germany, shocked multitudes in Nigeria and beyond when he publicly shot back, saying, “I don’t know which party my wife belongs to. But she belongs to my kitchen and my living room and the other room."

Social media almost immediately lit up with expressions of anger and disgust. Was this remark a bad joke or a personal spat between a long-married couple that had wrongly gone public? Or was it symbolic of the underlying gender relations beyond the everyday niceties about the rights of women and gender equality? Some of President Buhari’s supporters, including his spokesperson, quickly jumped to his defense, claiming it was just a joke, he has appointed female ministers, he was not talking about all women, etc.

But for anyone who watched and listened to the president’s interview, it looks anything but a joke. Under the veneer of his smile, he actually looked intent on crushing his wife’s resolve for daring to criticize him in such a public manner. Leaving aside why the first lady chose to criticize her husband in public, President Buhari’s statement is deeply offensive -- objectifying his own wife as a kitchen tool, a living room ornament and a sex object in his “other room.”

Ironically, the African Union has declared this a year of women’s rights.  While Buhari was speaking in Germany today, African women from across the continent were in Kilimanjaro, Tanzania in a landmark initiative to advocate for the rights of women. As a symbol of the difficulties faced by African women, some of the participants even climbed Mount Kilimanjaro itself with a list of demands aimed at securing real respect for the rights of women but only to hear the news that one of Africa’s major leaders was telling them they belong in a kitchen and a bedroom.

A strong response is urgently needed from Africa and beyond to condemn President Buhari’s statement objectifying women. He should urgently apologize for his words and act in a manner that demonstrates his apology is genuine.

Rojaina and her children used to live in a brick house in a small village in rural Malawi. After a coal mine started operating nearby, she was told to leave her house as the land was needed for mining. Rojaina and her children were given little money to build a new home and she received no compensation for the loss of land her family has farmed for generations. “I used to have three fields where I was growing groundnuts, cassava, maize,” she said. “That is what fed the children. But they took it away from us. That’s why we are hungry now.” 

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Rojaina N., under the tree that served as a shelter for her family and where she and her family lived for a couple of weeks after their relocation due to coal mining operations in Mwabulambo, Karonga district. 

© 2016 Lauren Clifford-Holmes for Human Rights Watch

Most rural families in Malawi lack formal legal title to the land they live on and farm, and this creates insecurity that women often feel most acutely. When communities are resettled to make way for mining or other projects, discrimination – sometimes reinforced by local customary norms – can leave them less likely than men to receive fair compensation. And after losing their land, women are often the ones left scrambling to find some new way to feed their families. Women in Malawi are not alone in this: in many African countries women struggle to enforce their legal rights or suffer unique insecurities under legal regimes that do not grant title to farmers at all. 

Today, thousands of women from all over Africa are meeting at the foot of Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania to demand strengthening women’s rights over land in rural areas across Africa. As part of the Women to Kilimanjaro Initiative, a small delegation of women even climbed the peak itself – an elevation of nearly 6,000 meters above sea level – with a list of demands aimed at securing real respect for their land rights. Their descent from the mountain on October 15 coincides with the International Day of Rural Women, which recognizes their role in improving food security and eradicating poverty. 

There are some encouraging signs: In Malawi, President Peter Mutharika just assented to a new customary land bill, which provides opportunities for women to own land and participate in resolving land disputes. Malawi is also developing a National Resettlement Policy, setting minimum standards to ensure respect for the human rights to housing and property when people are required to leave their homes. These are good first steps, but what matters most for women like Rojaina is speedy and effective implementation. 

The women climbing the Kilimanjaro have demonstrated that they can take on a huge challenge. Governments should follow their example. 

October 15, 2016 (JUBA) – Representatives of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), Troika (United States, United Kingdom and Norway), and European Union (EU) in the Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (JMEC) have condemned calls by opposition leaders for a renewal of armed conflict in South Sudan.

The body which was supposed to monitor the implementation of the peace agreement, but weakened by the renewal of violence from 8 July, however called on the parties led by President Salva Kiir and Riek Machar, the ousted First Vice President, to resort to dialogue rather than violence.

In a joint statement issued on Friday, JMEC partners said further fighting will not solve South Sudan's pressing political and economic challenges, arguing that it will only increase the suffering of South Sudan's people, “worsen a grave humanitarian crisis, and further inflame ethnic tensions.”

“Both the government and armed opposition groups bear responsibility for renewed hostilities since July's clashes in Juba. We are deeply concerned by heavy fighting around the country in recent weeks, including near Yei, Wau, Bentiu, and Nassir. We are particularly alarmed by reports of widespread violence against civilians. As a result of this violence, more civilians have been internally displaced and more than one million South Sudanese have now sought refuge in neighboring countries,” partly reads the statement extended to Sudan Tribune.

“Continued conflict in South Sudan threatens the peace and security of its neighbors and the region. In line with the Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan, we call on the government and armed opposition groups to immediately adhere to the permanent ceasefire,” the statement said.

Resolving South Sudan's conflicts, it said, requires genuine and inclusive dialogue representing the viewpoints of all South Sudanese people.

“We therefore call on the Transitional Government of National Unity and leaders of opposition groups alike to recommit themselves, consistent with the peace agreement, to peaceful dialogue based on the following principles,” it further said.

It added that the parties must agree to resolve their differences through a political process rather than through armed conflict, saying “The political process must be inclusive of all parties, communities, factions, and voices.”

“The parties must agree to undertake implementation of the reforms outlined in the Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan,” it added.

JMEC's partners admitted that returning to dialogue after the violence was a “difficult” one, but said they would support the process without indicating how the process would entail and how the ousted First Vice President, Machar, would assume his position.

“We fully understand that the process of rebuilding trust and undertaking necessary compromises will [be] a difficult one, and are prepared to support that process. We firmly believe that South Sudan's leaders must finally act to meet the demands of their people and end this senseless conflict,” the statement said.

The statement was endorsed and signed by representatives of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, Republic of Kenya, Uganda, Sudan, the European Union, Kingdom of Norway, United Kingdom and the United States of America.

(ST)

By Tesfa-Alem Tekle

October 15, 2016 (ADDIS ABABA) – An Eritrean opposition group on Friday alleged that scores of Ethnic Afar Eritrean civilians in small vessels have been Killed by Saudi-led coalition off the Coast of Yemen.

Citing to several reliable sources the Red Sea Afar Democratic Organization (RSADO) affirmed to Sudan Tribune that the Saudi -led coalition planes have “indiscriminately” and “deliberately” hit Eritrean Afar small fishers' boats near the Mokha port of Bab Al-Mandab strait off Yemen.

According to opposition officials the fishing boats were carrying livestock and civilians.

The boats had left for Yemen from the Dankalia Region of Eritrea to import basic food commodities, household items, clothing and footwear to meet their basic needs.

“At least 5 civilians were indiscriminately killed and 10 other people injured, including women, children and elderly people,” said Ibrahim Haron, leader of RSADO, an armed opposition movement based in Ethiopia.

This type of air attack against a civilian boat the opposition leader said is "a serious violation of international humanitarian law".

RSADO deplored the attacks by the coalition forces saying it was indiscriminate air strikes with foreknowledge of their indiscriminate effect.

“RSADO unequivocally condemns in the strongest terms possible this indiscriminate air strike attack directed at the Eritrean Afar civilian population by the Arab Coalition Forces” said the rebel group.

Sudan Tribune could not independently confirm this account and a spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition forces could not immediately be reached for comment.

In October 2015, Yemeni fishermen accused the coalition helicopters and warships of killing 40 people, including several fishermen during an attack on military locations belonging to the Houthis and forces loyal to Saleh on Aqban and Kadman islands on 24 October 2015.

Since March 2015, Saudi Arabia has been leading an military coalition to restore Yemen's President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi and his government, forced into exile by an advance of Houthi fighters allied to Iran.

Reports last month revealed that Saudi Arabia has transferred some 5,000 Yemeni militants to Eritrea for military training in the Red Sea country.

According to the report, Riyadh was transferring the militants from Aden to Eritrea's Assab port to go under military trainings and then be sent to the Saudi provinces bordering Yemen.

The Eritrean government at the time dismissed the report saying “a preposterous lie”.

“The allegation by Farsi News Agency represents a preposterous lie peddled for some ulterior motives,” said a statement then issued by Asmara.

However, RSADO Friday confirmed that the Arab Coalitions Forces were stationed in Eritrea's Dankalia region since November 2, 2015.

Since their deployment, RSADO said thousands of Afar families have been made homeless, forcibly evicted from their traditional land and homes.
“Internally displaced, children and families are deliberately kept in destitute or unhealthy conditions by the regime” Ibrahim said.

He added that “They [Afars] were forced from their homes and off their grazing lands and fishing areas violently, without compensation and without Free, Prior and Informed consent (FPIC) in order to make Afar land available for the Saudi Arabia-led Alliance”

According to the opposition official, on November 2, 2015 the State of Eritrea leased the Port of Assab to the UAE for 30 years and it has allowed the Saudi Arabia-led Gulf Alliance to use the Hanish islands to conduct military operations against Houthi rebels in Yemen.

Saudi Arabia and its Gulf Allies have established their military presence in Afar Land in Eritrea in return for financial aid and fuel supplies for the Eritrean government, the group calimed.

Eritrean right groups say, the military base of the Saudi -led alliance in Dankalia (Afar Land) has already had a devastating impact on the indigenous Afar because their economic, social and cultural survival is deeply linked to their traditional land, fishing, and commercial and business activities between Eritrea and Yemen.

RSADO alleges the Eritrean regime is responsible for committing crimes and human rights violations against Afar people.

The group accused Isaias Afewerki regime in Asmara of deliberately leasing Afar lands to the Saudi coalition forces in order to systematically remove the Afars from their traditional lands in the name of development.

“We may otherwise suppose that the Eritrean regime hopes that the solution to the 'Afar Problem' is to allow Saudi-led coalition forces and Houthi rebels-Salih Forces to collaterally eradicate the Afar people in the crossfire”.

“We think that equating or nullifying this incident with fighting international terrorism which were targeting the International Maritime Routes in the Bab-el-Mandeb route is an additional insult to injury,” the group said.

RSADO urged the Saudi-led coalition forces to immediately withdraw from their traditional territory (Dankalia) and to allow the Afar people live in their land peacefully.

It also called upon the international community, U.S., EU, UK, Russa, and human rights groups to urge and pressure the Saudi–led coalition to abide and comply with international humanitarian and human rights laws, and to immediately halt targeting innocent Eritrean Afar fishermen and civilians in Eritrean and international waters near the Bab al-Mandab strait off Yemen.

(ST)

October 14, 2016 (KHARTOUM) - Sudan's Finance Minister Badr el-Din Mahmoud has expected a decision from the United States easing restrictions on of spare parts of planes and trains, from sanctions on Sudan.

Sudanese finance minister Badr al-Din Mahmoud

Sudan is under economic and trade sanctions since 1997, initially in connection with alleged support to terrorist groups. However in 2007, it strengthened the embargo, citing abuses in Darfur which it labelled as "genocide".

Speaking to the press at Khartoum Airport after his returning from the annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank Group (WBG) in Washington on Thursday, Minister Mahmoud said U.S. will soon allow the import of spare parts for planes and trains, adding there is a remarkable improvement on the Sudanese-US relations.

He further said he discussed with officials at the U.S. Department of the Treasury the sanctions imposed on his country and the flow of refugees from neighbouring countries, pointing out that the American side responded positively and expressed neediness to support Sudanese efforts to shelter refugees, and to combat human trafficking.

The efforts exerted by the Sudanese government have led to "ease sanctions on the banking sector and the lift sanctions in the future, precisely next December will witness the lift of economic sanctions on Sudan," he further said.

U. S. Department of State last September praised Sudanese government efforts in the fight against terrorism. However, it ruled out the removal of sanctions on the east African country as long as there is no improvement in Darfur conditions.

"While countering terrorism is an important objective for the United States, we continue to engage the Government of Sudan on protecting human rights, resolving internal conflicts, addressing humanitarian needs, improving regional stability, and advancing political freedoms, accountability and reconciliation," said a statement issued on 21 September.

Minister Mahmoud stated that he met with several international financial officials on the sidelines of the IMF meetings, including a meeting with the chairman of the World Bank where they tackled the economic situation in Sudan and ways to support the basic education, electricity, agricultural sectors.

He said he explained that the refugees' issue puts pressure on the country's economy, pointing out that Sudan provides assistance to those refugees on behalf of the international community without any support from it.

He also said he met with the UNHCR officials to assist Sudan to monitor and assess refugees.

Sudan hosts refugees from the Horn of Africa countries particularly Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somalia besides the increasing number of South Sudanese during the last three years.

(ST)

October 14, 2016 (JUBA) – Ugandan President, Yoweri Museveni last week met in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, with Riek Machar leader of the armed opposition faction of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM-IO) and Lam Akol, leader of the rebel National Democratic Movement (NDM), Sudan Tribune has learnt.

South Sudanese opposition leader, Dr. Riek Machar meets Ugandan president Yoweri Museveni in Khartoum, Sept. 16, 2015 (ST Photo)

The meeting which took place on Tuesday, 11 October, after Museveni participation in the closing session of the National Dialogue Conference in Khartoum, disclosed the spokesperson of SPLM-IO leader, James Gatdet Dak .

He told Sudan Tribune that the meeting, which was initiated by President Museveni, discussed a lot of issues pertaining to how to correct the ongoing political and security situations in the country.

“Our Chairman and Commander-in-Chief, H.E. Dr. Riek Machar, met with President Yoweri Museveni in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, on Tuesday, 11 October. Dr. Lam Akol also took part in the meeting. The three leaders discussed a way forward to correct the current mess in the country that has resulted from the attack on July 8, 2016, which attempted to assassinate our leader,” said Dak.

He said President Museveni admitted that the political power sharing and the security arrangements in South Sudan should be reviewed following the collapse of both the August 2015 peace agreement and the transitional government of national unity.

“The trio discussed President Museveni's initiative on how to review the political power sharing and the security arrangements, including future elections,” Dak said, without giving details.

He added that Machar had told the Ugandan leader that he would discuss the initiative with the leadership of the SPLM-IO.

On 25 September, South Sudan's former Minister of Agriculture, Lam Akol, announced the formation of new rebel group, NDM. He said that his new faction will closely work with the SPLM-IO of Riek Machar.

The former leader of the parliamentary opposition Democratic Change Party (DCP) said he resigned and left the party in August because the its leadership refuses the armed struggle and believe in peaceful dialogue and non-violence to bring about change in South Sudan.

Dak reiterated that the SPLM-IO's leadership was committed to a peaceful political settlement of the civil war, but has been forced to opt for an armed resistance against President Kiir's regime after the 8 July incident.

He said without an initiative to correct the situation and resuscitate the peace agreement, the armed opposition will have no other option than to stage an armed resistance which will lead to the “overthrow of President Kiir's regime” in Juba.

Earlier, the opposition faction blamed IGAD-Plus member states for allowing President Kiir to violate the peace agreement when he allegedly attempted to assassinate Machar at the Republican Palace (J1) on 8 July, and also attacked his residence, forcing him out of the capital and the country.

(ST)

October 14, 2016 (JUBA) – International human rights bodies have called for establishment of a Hybrid Court in the war-ravaged South Sudan in accordance with the August 2015 peace deal and the resolution of the African Union, saying the ongoing fighting in the new country should not be used as an excuse to delay trials for those who have committed war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Amnesty International and the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) in a joint briefing on Thursday, said continued fighting in South Sudan which erupted again on 8 July must not derail justice for crimes committed during the deadly conflict that began in December 2013.

The organizations are calling on the African Union (AU) Commission and the South Sudan government to urgently establish the proposed Hybrid Court for South Sudan (HCSS).

“Thousands have been killed, women raped, entire villages destroyed, and humanitarian personnel attacked. But as world attention has focused on ending the fighting, accountability for violations that could amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity has been put on the back burner,” said Netsanet Belay, Amnesty International's Africa Director for Research and Advocacy, in a statement extended to Sudan Tribune on Thursday.

“Justice must not be delayed any further. Fresh violations should give added impetus to efforts to form the Hybrid Court,” the statement said.

The peace agreement signed by both parties in August 2015 provides for the formation of the court to investigate and prosecute those bearing criminal responsibility for the atrocities, but little progress has been made towards setting it up.

They said the Hybrid Court – which will combine elements of both domestic and international law and be composed of personnel from South Sudan and abroad – currently represents the most viable option for ensuring accountability for crimes committed during the conflict, as well as for deterring further abuses.

In the briefing, the organizations make 17 recommendations to ensure the court effectively achieves accountability in accordance with international fair trial standards. The recommended priorities include: “Establishing an investigative branch to ensure evidence is collected and preserved in an appropriate manner; Establishing an independent victims and witness protection unit; Ensuring that victims' rights to participate in the proceedings are guaranteed, the inclusion of South Sudanese judges and staff on the court and exclusion of the death penalty as a possible sentence.”

The human rights bodies also recommended that if security concerns prevent the court from being based in South Sudan, it should at least be located within the region.

They said the crimes should not go unpunished, adding that bringing the criminals to justice will help in ensuring sustainable peace in South Sudan.

“Atrocities endured by civilians in South Sudan, which the African Union has documented, must not go unpunished. The establishment of the Hybrid Court is necessary, not only to address human rights violations and abuses and crimes under international law, but also as a pillar to achieving sustainable peace,” said Arnold Tsunga, FIDH Vice President.

“The AU should build on its experience of the recent trial of former Chadian President Hissène Habré in Senegal to set up the Hybrid Court for South Sudan,” the statement said.

South Sudan became an independent country on 9 July 2011 after decades of war, lengthy negotiations and a referendum to secede from Sudan. Two and a half years later, in December 2013, armed conflict broke out between forces loyal to President Salva Kiir and those allied to his deputy, Riek Machar.

In August 2015, the two parties agreed a peace deal and later formed a transitional unity government with President Kiir at the helm and Machar as first of his two deputies.

Renewed fighting broke out on 8 July, 2016, with heavy clashes in the capital, Juba, and other parts of the country. Machar has since been replaced as First Vice President and fled the country after his residence was attacked.

About 2.6 million South Sudanese have fled their homes since the outbreak of fighting in 2013, with some 1.6 million internally displaced and another one million living as refugees in neighbouring countries.

(ST)

October 14, 2016 (KHARTOUM) - The Imam (prayer leader) of Khartoum's Grand Mosque Kamal Rizq on Friday has criticized the Sudan's school curriculum saying it glorifies Shi'ite Islam.

In September 2014, Sudan ordered the closure of Iranian cultural centre in the capital Khartoum, and its branches in other states. Also the Iranian cultural attaché and the staff of the centre were asked to leave the country within 72 hours.

At the time the government didn't issue any official explanation for the abrupt decision.

However, the Sudanese President Omer al-Bashir later said they realized that government of the Islamic Republic of Iran sought actively through its diplomatic mission to spread its religious ideology.

During his Friday cermon, Rizq vehemently attacked Sudan's Ministry of Education, saying “it doesn't exist in reality”.

He stressed that schools books propagate the Shi'ite ideology, wondering why the Iranian cultural centres were shut down while “grade tenth curriculum glorifies the Shi'ite poetry and hails it as original and a product of strong creed”.

Following the closure of the Iranian cultural centres, a number of Imams demanded the government to take further measures against Shi'ism.

At the time, the head of the Fiqh (jurisprudence) Academy Isam Ahmed al-Bashir, vowed to review the curriculum of private schools which are believed to be propagating Shi'ite ideology, saying any school that doesn't adhere to the government's official curriculum would be shut down.

In January 2016, Sudan severed ties with Iran after an attack on the Saudi embassy in Tehran amid a row over the execution of a Shi'ite Muslim cleric.

Sudanese troops are deployed in Yemen since October 2014 within an Arab coalition against the Iran-backed Shi'ite Houthi militants.

(ST)

October 13, 2016 (KHARTOUM) - Sudan's monthly inflation rate climbed for the sixth consecutive month reaching 18.32 percent in September compared to 18.15 percent in August, said the official Central Bureau of Statistics (CBoS) on Thursday.

A vendor sells vegetables during Ramadan at a local market in north Khartoum August 3, 2012 (REUTERS/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah)

Up to March the inflation rate was declining slowly and reached 11.70 percent while the government was trying to curb inflation rate to stabilize commodities and services prices.

According to the CBoS's monthly bulletin, the monthly inflation rate has risen to 18,32 percent due to the general increase in price of goods and services.

Prices and services have soared in Sudan since South Sudan seceded in 2011, taking with it three quarters of the country's oil output, the main source of foreign currency used to support the Sudanese pound.

The government decision to lift fuel and basic commodities subsidies in September 2013 pushed up the inflation. Also, prices of gasoline and diesel increased by almost 100%.

Also, price of the US dollar has witnessed sharp increase in the black market in Khartoum since last April settling at 15,5 pounds (SDG) while the official exchange rate still stands at 6.4 pounds. The dollar is needed for food and other essential imports.

In its latest report on Sudan earlier this month, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) called on the government to tighten monetary policy to keep inflation in check.

“This would require continued adherence to limits on central bank advances to the government, limiting quasi-fiscal activities to levels consistent with monetary targets, and developing liquidity management instruments” said the report.

(ST)

October 14, 2016 (JUBA) - A leader of an armed factions who did not join the 2015 peace agreement, is advocating two solutions to end disputes resulting from a unilateral presidential decree expanding the number of administrative units to 28 states from the constitutionally recognised 10 states .

Gabriel Changson Chang (ST)

South Sudan's former Youth and Sports Minister Gabriel Changson Chang, now a Chairman and Commander in Chief of the Federal Democratic Party, proposed two options to resolving land disputes between communities resulting from the contested presidential order.

President Salva Kiir, on 2 October 2015, issued presidential order dissolving state government and legislatures and expanded the number of states from a previously constitutionally recognised 10 state to 28 states in violation of the peace agreement which recognises 10 states.

"This presidential order created land disputes between communities and made it impossible to enshrine the agreement into the current transitional constitution”, said Changson, according to a proposal extended to Sudan Tribune.

The proposal, which is dated on 16 September, advocates freezing the presidential order creating 28 states and revert to 10 states as the first option or creating 36 states as the last option to address land disputes. The proposal, however, fell short of how it would address concerns that the presidential decree itself divided some communities and annexed their lands to others.

It also did not address economic and political issues as many are concerned with how a large local government structure could economically be sustainable and socially cohesive amid declining resources.

The proposal divides the Upper Nile State into five states and leave Malakal town with a municipality status. It does not mention under which state it would fall if given municipality status. It further divides the Unity State into four separate states and leave Abiemnom with the status of municipality, without clarifying under which state it would fall.

Jonglei state, according to the proposal, should be divided into six separate states. It spilt Eastern Equatoria into two states and gives Raja County the status of a state separate from Wau and counties in Aweil to which it has been annexed, according to the presidential order. The proposal, however, did not split Tonj, Western and Eastern Lakes, Gok, Terekeka, Gbudue, Yei, Jubek, Aweil and Aweil East states into new more states.

All the opposition groups have rejected the creation of 28 states but agree on the need to review the 10 states. In the peace agreement it was agreed to discuss the matter and to reach a consensus to be endorsed in the new constitution.

(ST)

(ST)

Expressing “deep concern” over the political situation in Burundi, the United Nations Security Council reiterated its demand that all stakeholders to refrain from any action that could threaten peace and stability in the country or undermine the East African Community-led inter-Burundian dialogue.