Recent Appearances...

Warning: Undefined array key "rbname" in /data/rantburg.com/www/pgrecentorg.php on line 14
Hello !
Recent Appearances...

Africa Horn

South Sudan's president says against Sudan's disintegration

2024-04-24

[SUDANTRIBUNE] South Sudan
Sudan

...a Moslem country located in the Horn of Africa. It is noted for its affinity for rule by ex- or current generals, its holy men, and for the oppression of the native Afro population by its Arab conquerors. South Sudan, populated mostly by the natives, split off from Sudan proper, which left North and South Darfur to be oppressed by the guys with turbans...
President Salva Kiir has raised an alarm over the war in Sudan, saying the country should not be allowed to split.
I thought South Sudan was the first phase of Sudan's disintegration?
"Sudan is too important, a country, in the African context, that cannot be abandoned to be consumed by its internal conflict. It can not be allowed to disintegrate", said Kiir.

He made the remarks during a visit of his South African counterpart, Cyril Ramaphosa where they discussed the status of implementation of the September 2018 peace agreement.

South Africa, Uganda, and Sudan were guarantors of the deal. The African Union
...a union consisting of 53 African states, most run by dictators of one flavor or another. The only all-African state not in the AU is Morocco. Established in 2002, the AU is the successor to the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), which was even less successful...
entrusted the five member countries with periodic review and evaluation of the status of the agreement. This committee, known as C5, comprises Algeria, Rwanda, Nigeria, Tanzania, and South Africa as the chair.

The South Sudanese leader explained that Sudan was a buffer zone of turmoil in Africa for it to be allowed to be consumed by its internal conflict.

He did not suggest what the continent should do.

"And as you know, Sudan is a buffer between the two zones of turmoil in Africa and if it is to be allowed to be consumed by its internal conflict, I think the whole of the heart of Africa and maybe the whole of Africa will be bleeding", he warned.

Kiir explained where the two zones exist and how internal conflicts have been negatively affecting regional peace and stability over past decades.

"The first zone, from these two zones extends from Libya to the Great Lakes region. This zone has been experiencing perennial conflicts emanating from legitimate political cases. Nobody can dismiss the genuineness of these conflicts in the region. For example, there is political opposition in Chad. It has its genuine political reasons for existence. There was a conflict in Darfur which we addressed with the signing of the 2020 Juba Peace Agreement but this agreement was affected by the eruption of the current conflict between the rapid support force and the Sudan armed forces. the implementation has now stalled and the signatories of the agreement are now divided in this fight. Some are with Sudan armed forces and others have taken a neutral position. there is another in Central Africa Republic," said Kiir.

Link

Africa Subsaharan

South Sudan president presses on holding elections as scheduled

2024-04-05

Will South Sudan hold delayed polls this year?

President Salva Kiir on Wednesday (Aprl. 03) warned politicians against an extension of the period of transition.

He argued it would deny citizens an opportunity to choose their leaders and urged parliament to pass the necessary laws to pave the way for the elections.

Parliament Speaker Jemma Nunu Kumba said politicians would redouble their efforts to ensure that all the prerequisites for elections are met.

His adress to parliament which return from recess comes just weeks after Salava Kiir's deputy and former rival Riek Machar proposed a postponement of elections expected to be held in December.

Vice President Machar suggested last month an extension of the transitional government’s term to allow for adequate preparation for the elections.

South Sudan became independent in 2011. After a peace deal in 2018 ended a civil war, elections were due to be held in February 2023. However,
some men learn by reading. A few learn by observation. The rest have to pee on the electric fence for themselves...
the government of national unity of Salva Kiir and Riek Machar has failed to meet key clauses of the deal.

The nation is working to put into place a permanent constitution, an electoral commission and a unified police force, made up of pro-government and rebel factions, that would provide security to the troubled nation.

The landlocked country is facing an economic crisis due to a decline in oil exports after war-torn Sudan last month declared force majeure on oil shipments passing through the country. The fighting in Sudan has affected shipments destined for a terminal near Port Sudan along the Red Sea coast.

Link

Africa Horn

German FM urges South Sudan leaders to renounce violence

2024-01-30

[SUDANTRIBUNE] The German Foreign minister, Annalena Baerbock has urged South Sudanese leaders to renounce the violence in the electoral process.

She was speaking after meeting President Salva Kiir
whose predecessor died under mysterious circumstances when his plane exploded...
and First Vice President Riek Machar
Who's been in near continuous rebellion against Kiir and his forces...
in Juba on Friday as part of a tour that saw her visit Kenya and Djibouti.

The official stressed the need for free, fair and peaceful elections in the country.

She emphasized the need for progress in the implementation of the Revitalized Peace Agreement, greater transparency in the management of public finances, increased investment in basic services by the transitional government and the facilitation of safe and unhindered humanitarian access in South Sudan.
And ponies for everyone!
While opening a new United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) women’s friendly space at Gorom refugee settlement on Friday, Baerbock has condemned the widespread sexual and gender-based violence women affected by war face.

“Sexual violence and rape are systematically used as a weapon of war. The women I just spoke to suffered the worst – they had to watch their daughters being raped in front of their eyes, they lost their children while fleeing. And then they arrived here in South Sudan and urgently need humanitarian support, water, food, but, above all, what everyone says above all, medical care,” she stressed.

Link

Africa Horn

President Kiir calls for ceasefire in Sudan conflict

2024-01-22

[SUDANTRIBUNE] South Sudan President Salva Kiir has urged an immediate and unconditional ceasefire in the ongoing conflict in neighbouring Sudan, citing the deteriorating security and humanitarian situation caused by nine months of fighting.

President Kiir made the call during a meeting with Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, the commander of Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Force, on Saturday after participating in a summit organized by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), a regional grouping of eight member countries.

The South Sudanese leader used the meeting to reiterate his administration’s commitment to supporting the regional-led peace process as the only viable path to achieving a lasting peace and resolving the conflict in Sudan. He also urged the paramilitary group’s leader to embrace peaceful dialogue and work towards a peaceful solution to the underlying causes of the war.

President Kiir also called for the establishment of humanitarian corridors to ensure access to assistance and services for people trapped in remote areas of Sudan due to the conflict.

Link

Africa Subsaharan

South Sudan's Warrap State approves shoot-to-kill law to combat violence

2024-01-12

[SUDANTRIBUNE] South Sudan
Sudan

Link

Africa Horn

Sudanese RSF leader pledges safe passage for Abyei and South Sudan returnees

2024-01-08

[SUDANTRIBUNE] General Mohammed Hamdan Daglo "Hemetti", the head of the Sudan
Sudan

...a Moslem country located in the Horn of Africa. It is noted for its affinity for rule by ex- or current generals, its holy men, and for the oppression of the native Afro population by its Arab conquerors. South Sudan, populated mostly by the natives, split off from Sudan proper, which left North and South Darfur to be oppressed by the guys with turbans...
ese paramilitary group Rapid Support Force (RSF), has reaffirmed his commitment to facilitate the safe return of Abyei natives and South Sudanese nationals who have fled the conflict in Sudan.

The pledge was made during a meeting with Abyei leaders Francis Mading Deng and Luka Biong Deng in Nairobi, Kenya on January 3, 2024. The meeting, which lasted for an hour, was characterized as amicable, open, and forward-looking by Francis Kuol, a former Sudan cabinet affairs minister.

The primary purpose of the meeting was to follow up on previous discussions held in Khartoum regarding the final status of Abyei and the repatriation of Abyei citizens who had sought refuge in Sudan prior to the Sudanese crisis. Francis Deng, who has also engaged in similar discussions with General Burhan, the head of the Sudanese Sovereign Council, in New York, USA during his participation to the United Nations
...an idea whose time has gone...
General Assembly in September 2022, added that he had also held similar dialogues with General Malik Agar, the Deputy Chairman of the Sudanese Sovereign Council, during his visits to Juba.

The Abyei leaders expressed their appreciation to Daglo for his endeavours to bring an end to the brutal civil war in Sudan and his historic diplomatic initiatives to neighbouring African countries in pursuit of peace.

The meeting touched upon three critical issues: peace in Sudan, the potential role of South Sudan under the leadership of President Salva Kiir in facilitating Sudanese peace, and the repatriation of Abyei natives displaced and stranded in RSF-controlled areas.

Deng highlighted the pivotal role that South Sudan, under the leadership of President Salva Kiir Mayardit, could play in mediating Sudanese peace. He emphasized the urgent need to establish secure conditions to enable the return of Abyei citizens displaced by the conflict in Sudan and the crucial role of the RSF in securing transit routes for the return of South Sudanese citizens.

The authorization of the meeting by President Salva Kiir and members of his administration remains unclear. The South Sudanese ambassador in Kenya declined to comment when asked if he had been informed of the arrangement.

Hemetti, heads the paramilitary Rapid Support Force, which has been engaged in a war against the Sudan Armed Forces under the command of its chief and Chairman of the Transitional Sovereign Council, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, since April 2023.

The RSF has been out of the public eye for several months. He utilized this period to embark on diplomatic missions to neighbouring countries and participate in global events and functions.

In late December 2023, the head of the Sudanese paramilitary group made his first wartime diplomatic trip to Uganda, where he met with President Yoweri Museveni
...

President-for-Life of Uganda. He assumed office in 1985. His primary virtue is being prefereable to both his predecessors, Idi Amin and Milton Obote...
. He also met with leaders from Uganda, Æthiopia, Djibouti, Kenya, South Africa, and Rwanda.

Link

Africa Horn

Somalia signs treaty to formally join East African Community

2023-12-17

[AFRICANEWS] Somalia was on Friday formally admitted as the 8th member state of the East African community (EAC), three weeks after being approved at a leaders’ summit in Arusha, Tanzania.

President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud signed the Treaty of Accession in the presence South Sudan
Sudan

President-for-Life of Uganda. He assumed office in 1985. His primary virtue is being prefereable to both his predecessors, Idi Amin and Milton Obote...
at a ceremony held in Entebbe, Uganda.

The EAC is a trade bloc as well as a customs union. But the region's biggest economies - Kenya and Tanzania, have been accused of attempts to stifle free trade.

Link

Africa Horn

Shoigu meets with the Minister of Defense of South Sudan

2023-09-30

Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu met with his South Sudanese counterpart, General Chol Thon Balok . The press service of the Russian Ministry of Defense reported this on September 29.

It is noted that during the meeting, promising cooperation projects in the defense sector were discussed, and the parties exchanged views on current issues of regional security.

At the meeting, the importance of the partnership between the military departments of Russia and South Sudan was noted to ensure security and stability in Central Africa. The defense ministers of the two countries agreed on further joint steps to develop bilateral relations in the military field, the press service clarified.

As Regnum reported, Russian President Vladimir Putin held talks in the Kremlin on September 28 with his South Sudanese counterpart Salva Kiir, during which he noted that much remains to be done for the economic development of the two countries. According to Putin, Russian-South Sudanese relations are developing very intensively. He recalled that Moscow was one of the first to recognize the sovereignty and independence of South Sudan.

Putin noted that the two countries have many good opportunities in a variety of areas, including energy. He expressed hope that the existing developments, including the construction of a refinery in South Sudan with the participation of a Russian company and the creation of the second stage of this plant, will benefit the development of our trade and economic ties.

In addition, the Russian leader emphasized that the further development of the two countries should be linked to ensuring security in the region.

As, in turn, Salva Kiir noted, the South Sudanese authorities do not see alternatives to friendship with Russia and intend to develop cooperation with Moscow.

Link

Africa Horn

Rival factions in Sudan war ready to end fighting, says minister

2023-07-29

[SUDANTRIBUNE] The warring factions involved in Sudan’s conflict are ready for negotiations aimed at ending months of fighting, an official said.

"There are now clear indications that peace talks could take place. There are now efforts to consolidate coordinating mechanisms since the parties have indicated readiness to engage in the peaceful dialogue," South Sudan’s Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation minister, Deng Dau Malek told Sudan Tribune on Thursday.

He said talks will take place in the presence of credible mediators and guarantors.

Malek did not give additional comments when reached to provide an update on the efforts of President Salva Kiir in his capacity as one key contact in the region.

After the eruption of the armed conflict in Sudan, the Sudanese army leaders and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have failed to commit to a ceasefire, forcing over 3 million people to flee the capital and parts of the Darfur region.

The multiple regional and international initiatives and sanctions also did not persuade them to stop the war. Khartoum rejects some mediators, while some countries where the warring parties deposited their money did implement international punitive measures against them.

On Monday, however, a South Sudanese diplomat with direct knowledge of President Kiir’s role in the Sudanese conflict separately told Sudan Tribune that "signs of the possible truce between the two sides have started emerging.

The official said the Sudanese military had accepted calls from the region and international backers encouraging unconditional participation in peaceful talks.

According to the source, Kiir received phone call from the Chairman of the Sovereign Council of Sudan, Gen Abdel Fattah Al Burhan pledging readiness to engage in dialogue to cease hostilities and return the country to peace and stability.

"The president received a phone call from his Sudanese counterpart last week, and it was cordial. They discussed the situation in Sudan and how it can be handled. His Excellency expressed his sincere support because Sudan is in a very delicate situation that requires seriousness and compromise to avert not only collapse and destruction but fragmentation of Sudan into ethnic enclaves," he said.

According to the presidential aide, Kiir advised al-Burhan "to put the country first and not be pulled back by the hardliners and open his doors for talks."

The source, however, doubted the seriousness of the Sudanese army and the rival paramilitary force to ceasefire and engage in a peaceful dialogue.

"But even if the white smoke appears, some allies and military figures with Gen al-Burhan have maintained a hard-line stance. They are making demands," he stressed.

Link

Africa Horn

Sudan's Kiir in talks with SPLM-N over South Kordofan attacks

2023-07-22

[SUDANTRIBUNE] South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir is in talks with the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) leaders following reports of resumption of hostilities in South Kordofan and Blue Nile states, an aide said.

The presidential advisor on national security, Tut Gatluak Manime told Sudan Tribune on Thursday that Kiir discussed with SPLM-N leaders prospects for peace and the need to cease military hostilities in the two areas and the whole of Sudan.

"The president has been engaging different leaders who participated and signed the Juba Peace agreement, including those who did not sign it to update them on his regional activities and his efforts to solicit their views on the comprehensive approach following his participation in the recent summit of the heads of state and government from countries sharing direct borders with Sudan", he explained.

A supporter of the SPLM-N faction led by Abdel Aziz Adam al-Hilu claimed they do not attack territories held by Sudan armed forces, but are trying to provide protection to areas under their control to avoid what happens in Darfur, where civilians and civil settlements as used shields by gangs fighting each other.

"The SPLM-N is the people’s movement and it has the right and responsibilities to protect lives and properties of the people under its control. This is what is happening in South Kordofan and Blue Nile areas. As far as I know, the SPLA-N gallant forces do not carry out attacks. They don’t attack government-held territories, they are protecting our own legitimate territory", the supporter who preferred anonymity owing to the sensitivity of the matter, told Sudan Tribune.

The SPLM-N and the Sudanese government had previously signed an agreement to halt hostilities, allowing humanitarian aid

access to the region from Sudanese territory and enabling people’s movement to and from SPLM-controlled areas.

Since July 15, the SPLA-N led by al-Hilu resumed military operations in areas neighbouring the cities of Dilling and Kadugli, amid calls for cessation of hostilities.

On Wednesday, South Sudanese government expressed deep regret over the recent resumption of the SPLM-N attacks in the South Kordofan state of Sudan, raising concerns about potential repercussions on the stability of the region.

In an interview with Sudan Tribune, Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation minister, Deng Dau Malek said he was dismayed over the renewed hostilities in the two areas, calling on "all parties concerned" to immediately halt military operations and focus on maintaining peace, security and stability of the region.

Link

Africa Subsaharan

South Sudan denies closure of border with Sudan

2023-06-26

[SUDANTRIBUNE] South Sudan officials dismissed reports about the presidential directives to close its border with the troubled neighbouring Sudan.

Deng Dau Deng Malek, the acting Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of South Sudan, expressed his lack of awareness regarding the issuance of such directives, casting doubt on the credibility of the reports.

"I am not aware of the issue of such reports. Where did you get the information?" Wondered Malek. Before adding, "This is incorrect and unfounded information".

The South Sudanese official was responding to media reports quoting officials in South Sudan who attributed the directive to President Salva Kiir, ordering the military and security forces to close borders with Sudan and the Central African Republic to prevent the spillover of the conflict in Sudan.

The rumours emerged after attacks by the SPLA-Hilu on the capital of South Kordofan State, which borders South Sudan, breaking a cessation of hostilities facilitated by the South Sudanese government.

President Kiir exerted efforts to mediate an end to the South Kordofan conflict, saying the conflict affects his relations with Sudan and destabilizes national security.

Maj Gen Lul Ruai Koang, the spokesperson for South Sudan’s People’s Defence Force, also denied any knowledge of the directives given to the military to close borders with Sudan or any neighbouring country in the region.

Link

Africa Subsaharan

S. Sudan holdout groups form alliance to topple Juba regime

2023-04-26

[SUDANTRIBUNE] South Sudan hold groups have formed an alliance of all armed and non-opposition groups in preparation for major offensives against the Juba regime, raising concerns about their commitment to peace.

The alliance, operating under South Sudan Federal Democratic Alliance (SSFDA), claimed President Salva Kiir and First Vice President Riek Machar were not ready to implement the peace agreement because they are using the 2018 accord as a strategy to remain in power to enrich themselves and members of their families.

Gen. Simon Gatwec Dual, leader of Sudan People’s Liberation Movement in Opposition (SPLM-IO) Kitgwang faction, said Kiir and Machar share the same agenda.

"Our people should not be fooled that the regime in Juba is for peace. The regime of Salva Kiir and Riek Machar is a regime of people interested in power. Riek wants power and Kiir does not give it. This is the situation and so they have decided to hold the country, hostage. So, as the leaders of various movements, we have decided to rescue our people by forming the alliance to coordinate our efforts to remove them", he explained.

The new alliance, according to a statement issued Wednesday, consists of SPLM/A-IO Kitgwang Declaration, National Salvation Front (NAS), South Sudan United Front/Army (SSUNF/A), United South Sudan Revolutionary Movement/Army (USSRM/A), South Sudan Rescue Front (SSRF), United Revolutionary Democratic Movement (UDRM/K) and South Sudan United Movement/Army Forces (SSUM/FA).

"We, the SSFDA parties to this MoU [Memorandum of Understanding] recognize the need for a united opposition against the brutal regime of General Salva Kiir and his partners in crime," partly reads the statement extended to Sudan Tribune.

It added, "Knowing the protracted suffering imposed on our citizens by illegitimate and unilateral extension of the government without due democratic process. We, the SSFDA parties may appreciate the role of the unified political and military action to change the regime in Juba by committing the country to a democratic process through free and fair elections".

Link

Warning: Undefined property: stdClass::$T in /data/rantburg.com/www/pgrecentorg.php on line 132
-12 More