May 3, 2013 (JUBA) – South Sudan's vice-president, Riek Machar, has urged a top religious leader from Jonglei state's troubled Pibor county to hand deliver a copy of the general amnesty issued by president Salva Kiir to rebel leader David Yau Yau.

South Sudan's vice-president, Riek Machar (AFP)

Last week, Kiir declared a general amnesty to all the rebel leaders in the country, including their forces.

Another rebel group in the oil-rich Unity state, the South Sudan's Democratic Movement/Army (SSDM/A), responded to the amnesty and declared their intention to join the national army (SPLA).

However, Yau Yau and his forces defied the peace offer and reportedly launched a fresh attack against SPLA forces in Pibor county, home of a minority Murle community from which Yau Yau hails.

On Thursday, Machar told Reverend Joseph Moti, the moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Pibor, to do his best and deliver the document to the rebel leader in person.

Moti has previously met with Yau Yau's deputy, James Kongkong, but has so far been unable to meet the top rebel leader.

Other Murle intellectuals in Juba, such as Ismail Konyi and Kengen Jakor, among others, have also tried to meet Yau Yau without success.

Machar's press secretary, James Gatdet Dak, told Sudan Tribune that the meeting between Machar and the top church leader in Pibor stressed the importance of reaching Yau Yau and persuading him to respond positively to president Kiir's amnesty.

Yau Yau rebelled against the government in 2010, angered by his failure in elections while contesting to represent Gumruk constituency in the state parliament, accusing the ruling party, the Sudan People Liberation Movement (SPLM), of rigging the poll.

He briefly re-joined the government in response to a presidential amnesty last year, only to rebel again later.

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“May” 3, 2013 (JUBA) - South Sudan will keep the capital punishment in place unless amendments are introduced in the country's constitution, the chief justice said today.

South Sudan's chief justice, Chan Reec Madut (AP)

“The transitional constitution does not have a provision that prohibits [the] death penalty. This means that our judges will continue to rely on current laws until when constitutional amendment [are] made through an act of parliament", the country's Chief Justice, Chan Reec Madut said.

Madut was speaking at an inauguration function of the new office belonging to Constitutional Review Commission whose mandate has been extended for up to two years.

The chief justice appeared to be reacting to recent reports by different civil rights activists acting together with the international human rights organisations, which called for capital punishment to be abolished.

Meanwhile, Nyok Monyrac, the Warrap state Acting President of the High Court, who in April, presided over murder related cases in Kuacjok, capital of the state, said in a separate interview that there was no alternative to avoiding capital punishment "by hanging" unless a constitutional amendment is made.

“There are three people who have been convicted in Kuacjok. They are now awaiting execution. All the processes are completed. The hearings have taken place and judgment which established reasonable grounds for sentence has been made. They have now been sentenced to death by hanging in the proceedings because it has been provednbeyond reasonable that the killings were deliberate. The convicts also accepted. In fact one of the convicts said he had wanted to kill one of his targets but ended up mistakenly killing another innocent person”, Judge Monyrac explained.

Two others, he said, were sentenced for jointly stabbing a person to death with a spear in Majokanyar, a local market under administrative and territorial jurisdiction of Tonj North County, Warrap State. He cited the 206 and 207 sections of South Sudan Penal Code Act 2008 which he said states that people convicted of intentional murder should be sentenced to death or life imprisonment.

After the country gained independence in 2011, South Sudan was among the 111 members of the United Nations that supported a resolution passed by the United Nations General Assembly that called for the removal of death penalty.

Despite the move courts in South Sudan have continued to sentence convicted murders to death rather than opting for life imprisonment.

“We have read a lot from the media and the activities of the human rights groups. There have been reports after reports but what can the judiciary do without laws. Our current Transitional Constitution allows death penalty because it has not amended. We cannot do anything because cases are judged based on articles relevant to certain provisions in the constitution. Yes we are aware that our country was one of the member states of the United Nations which endorsed removal of death penalty but there is a need to amend the constitution to reinforce what the signed at the United Nations otherwise it will be a spoiled vote”, Monyrac narrated.

He explained that Criminal procedure Act 2008, section 275, states that when a person is sentenced to death they are to be hung by the neck until he or she is pronounced dead.

The Warrap state-based judge said little was likely to change until the law is changed. He said records at his disposal show that levels of crime have increased in Warrap state so far this year with over 40 murder and rape cases already reported.

There were only 20 reported cases of murder and rape in the whole of 2012, he said, adding that Tonj East, Tonj South, Gogrial East and Twic had the highest crime rates.

In a separate issue, Chief Justice Madut said he had ordered the establishment of special mobile courts tasked with identifying and trying cases.

"This will help reduce concerns about cases that take long to be tried due to lack of judges or availability of defense lawyers. These courts move with advocates and team of defense lawyers for those who could not afford to hire lawyers who would [otherwise be forced to] represent them[selves] in court”, Madut said.

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May 3, 2013 (JUBA) - South Sudan's president, Salva Kiir, says the fate of Abyei - a key disputed oil-producing border region - remains his government's top priority following the country's secession from Sudan in July 2011.

South Sudanese President Salva Kiir (REUTERS/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah)

His comments have raised expectations that direct negotiations on the issue may push way for some progress when he visits Khartoum to witness delivery of the first oil shipment to international markets through Sudanese territory.

President Kiir's imminent visit to Khartoum, will be his first since October 2011.

South Sudan suspended oil-production more than a year ago over a dispute related to transit fees Khartoum was requesting from Juba for usage of its pipelines.

However, relations have dramatically improved since March when both sides said they would implement a Cooperation Agreement signed in September 2012.

Sudan's president Omer Hassan al-Bashir then visited Juba with a high-level delegation in April, for the first time since he attended South Sudan's independence celebrations.

However, the closed door talks with Kiir brought no breakthrough on the thorny issues of Abyei.

Kiir sought to maintain a previous arrangement over legislative and executive power sharing in the area's local administration which gives South Sudan's ruling Sudan People Liberation Movement (SPLM) 60% and Sudan's governing National Congress Party (NCP) 40%, but Bashir argued for an equal distribution of the seats in the council.

Speaking to reporters shortly after meeting cabinet minister, Deng Alor Kuol, on Thursday, Kon Manyieth, a former head of physical infrastructure in the Abyei Area Administration (AAA), said he had come to Juba with greetings and to update the leadership on the current situation in the area.

The official who led the local delegation said he had a "fruitful" briefing with minister Kuol, who, in return, briefed them about his April visit to the United States and the African Union headquarters in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa for diplomatic talks over the Abyei issue.

“Our meeting with cabinet affairs minister Deng Alor Kuol was fruitful. We briefed him about general situation of the area, particularly about the massive settlement plan of members of the Misseriya who are getting direct support from the government of Sudan to the area. The other matter and the main reason of the visit is the continued killing and raiding of cattle and burning of villages in the area by the government of Sudan backed militia group”, Kon told journalists Thursday.

As per the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement South Sudan wants a referendum to be help in the area, with only those who are permanently residents in the area allowed to vote. Juba defines this a predominantly members of Dinka Ngok, who would be expected to vote for Abyei to become part of South Sudan.

However the plebiscite, originally scheduled for January 2011, has been delayed over disputes over who is eligible to take vote and the composition of the relevant institutions. Khartoum argues that members of the Arab nomadic Misseriya tribe, who enter the fertile area with their cattle for some time of the year should also be allowed to cast a ballot.

The AU's Sudan mediator Thabo Mbeki seemed to agree with South Sudan and presented a proposal which would effectively leave out the nomadic Misseriya. But Sudan has summarily dismissed Mbeki's proposal.

Kon said the reason for the alleged attacks on the area is part of the Sudanese government's strategic plan, aiming to sabotage and deter the natives of Abyei from returning to their original places north of the town so that they do not participate in the upcoming referendum vote.

The African Union has proposed that the poll be conducted in October this year.

“The massive settlement plan of the members of the Misseriya in the area and the continued killing and burning of the villages is a political scheme of the government of Sudan. The strategic objective is to deter our people from returning to their original places north of Abyei. These are part of the strategic plans of the government of Sudan. We know it very well. So we have to alert our leadership and our people who are living here in Juba and in other states of South Sudan”, he said.

Meanwhile, Minister Deng Alor Kuol, according to Kon, said president Kiir assured him that the issue of Abyei remains a top priority of post-secession issues still to be settled with the government of Sudan.

“Minister Deng Alor also briefed us of his meeting with the president Salva Kiir after his recent visit to the US and Addis Ababa to brief him and the president assured him of his commitment to pursue the issue of Abyei as one of his top priorities. He said the president said the issue of Abyei remains top priority of the post secession issues to be settled with Sudan”, Kon explained.

SERIOUS DIPLOMATIC ENGAGEMENT

South Sudan's Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Minister, Nhial Deng Nhial, said Friday his country is seriously engaging Sudan in diplomatic discussions over the area.

"There is a very serious effort under way to get talks to convince Sudan to accept the African proposal as the basis of resolving the conflict over the area. A lot of resorts are being devoted. Much of the time and efforts are given to the issue of Abyei. We are engaging Sudan to accept the African proposal because it is the only way differences as these are resolved in the entire world. Referendum is always the solution”, Nhial said in a separate interview with Sudan Tribune on Friday.

(ST)

By Bonifacio Taban Kuich

May 3, 2013 (BENTIU) - The World Food Programme (WFP) is providing an increasing number of meals to schools in South Sudan's Unity state as food shortages and malnutrition worsened in some areas.

WFP flight preparing to drop aid in South Sudan (WFP, photo)

The state minister of education appealed to the WFP base in Bentiu during a meeting on Wednesday to consider more schools in the feeding schedule for this year.

Out of 312 schools, 97 were selected for this year's feeding program, according to officials from Unity state's ministry of education. This is a significant increase from the 40 schools which received food last year. As the rainy season approaches more roads will be inaccessible preventing food supplies from reaching remote areas in various nine counties of the state.

Angelo Chol Dongway, the minister of general education in Unity says he had a successful meeting with WFP to offer more school feeding programs in order to attract higher enrollment.

The WFP however, has placed some preconditions before releasing more food school meals, the minister said.

“In our meeting with WFP in Unity state, we discussed issues related to schools feeding and agreed that they will supply schools with food in order to encourage the enrollments. In addition to that they said that they will also help in the renovation of some schools so that they will fulfill all the requirements....including that each school should have storage, kitchen and toilets or latrines”, said Dongway.

Minister Dongway told Sudan Tribune on Friday that the programs will start soon before raining season begins in a few weeks.

“Last year the number was less than these ones, the number of target schools, but this year there are new ones according to the criteria of WFP. We want them to be ready”, Dongway said.

WFP has been distributing and delivering food to some schools in South Sudan, but there are concerns that not all the food reaches the people it is intended for. This is why Minister Dongway said they are working to recommend some ingenious organizations to monitor and distribute food to the approved schools centers.

“What are we going to do? We are going to give these to community-based-organizations and these community organizations should be recommended by the Ministry of Education to make sure that the organizations are capable of distributing the foods to their locations. So what we will do is monitor through the community base organizations that are going to distribute the food and in addition to our education offices in the counties they will monitor also together with commissioners in all the counties”, added the minister.

A report from the Famine Early Warning System Network on 1 May said that between April and September acute food security will worsen "as the lean season progresses due to high food prices, reduced income, and persistent insecurity that continually disrupt livelihoods of the affected population".

The report said that the "prices of staple foods continue to be high as households increase reliance on markets. Prices of most commodities are above five-year averages and will peak during the seasonal lean period between May and July. Although trade is expected to improve between Sudan and South Sudan, poor households are not expected to reap immediate benefits".

Unity state which borders Sudan has been impacted by restrictions on cross border trade. Other border communities in Northern Bahr el Ghazal, Warrap, and Upper Nile have also been affected.

However, the improved relations between the two nations has led the resumption of oil production and the establishment of border crossing points is expected to have a positive impact on the economies and access to food on either side of the world's newest country's international border.

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By Tesfa-Alem Tekle

May 3, 2013 (ADDIS ABABA) - As the globe marks the World Press Freedom Day on Friday the international press rights group, Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), called on the African Union (AU) to promote press freedom and to engage in protecting African journalists.

In an open letter it sent to Chairperson of the African Union, Nkosazana Zuma, CPJ urged the AU chief to play a leading role in the efforts of releasing all journalists imprisoned in Africa.

"We urge you to use your office to persuade member states to comply with the letter and spirit of conventions they have signed that uphold press freedom," said CPJ Executive Director, Joel Simon.

The press advocacy group further appealed for justice to all African journalists killed in the course of duty.

According to CPJ research no justice was served to at least 80 journalists murdered in the continent since 1992.

At least 41 African journalists are said to spend World Press Freedom Day imprisoned in direct reprisal for their journalistic duty.

Nigeria where five journalists have been killed with impunity since 2009 and the East African nation of Somalia were labeled among worst nations globally in combating deadly, anti-press violence.

CPJ was alarmed that Ethiopia and the Gambia, which host offices of the AU, are among the nations holding journalists in jail.

"It is particularly disturbing that Ethiopia and the Gambia, which host offices of the African Union, are among the nations holding journalists in jail” Simon said.

“These imprisonments have silenced important voices, often in contravention of regional and international rulings".

With seven journalists behind bars, Ethiopia is one of Africa's foremost jailer of journalists behind neighboring Eritrea which imprisons at least 30 journalists.

Meanwhile an Ethiopian court on Thursday rejected an appeal over the case of the blogger Eskinder Nega who is held on terrorism related charges.

The court upheld an 18-year prison sentence.

In reaction to the court ruling CPJ Africa Advocacy Coordinator Mohamed Keita said: "This ruling trivializes the serious crime of terrorism, upholds a politically motivated travesty of justice, and lessens Ethiopia's international standing".

"As a member of the U.N. Human Rights Council, Ethiopia should comply with its obligations under international law and its own constitution and release Eskinder unconditionally. The persecution of Eskinder and other journalists is the hallmark of a regime fearful of the opinions of its citizens."

The New York-based press freedom group mentioned Ethiopian journalists, Reeyot Alemu, the 2013 UNESCO World Press Freedom Prize winner, who is serving a five-year term and Eskinder Nega, 2012 laureate of PEN American Centre, on “fabricated terrorism charges” among several journalists who should be released immediately.

The African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, among other international institutions, have in the past censured Ethiopia for the imprisonment of Reeyot and other journalists facing lengthy prison terms under the country's overly broad anti-terrorism law.

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May 3, 2013 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudanese Salafist group Ansar Al-Sunnah, has been harshly criticized by some religious figures for gifting a copy of the Holy Quran to the US charge d'affaires in Khartoum Joseph Stafford during his visit to the group's headquarters on Wednesday.

The US charge d'affaires to Sudan Joseph Stafford speaks during a press conference in the capital Khartoum, on April 21, 2013 (ASHRAF SHAZLY/AFP/Getty Images)

A splinter faction of the group also took the opportunity to lambast the chairman of Ansar Al-Sunnah Ismail Osman describing his act as “forbidden”.

In the same context, the state-affiliated religious body known as Sudan Scholar Council (SSC) has reportedly issued a religious decree, describing the act as “heinous” and urged Osman to ask for repentance and return the copy of the Quran or else he shall bear the iniquity of his act.

The religious decree concluded that “scholars decided that the sale of Quran or giving it to an unbeliever is not permissible in Islam”.

But later an SSC official told Sudan official news agency (SUNA) denied issuing any decree and said that one of its members did so in his personal capacity only.

The US Charge d`Affaires in Khartoum paid several visits to religious groups in recent months including Sufist ones in Khartoum and Al-Gezira. He also recently visited, together with the Italian Ambassador, festivities marking the Birth of Prophet Mohammed.

However, these visits gave rise to objections by some religious groups suspicious of the motives behind it and called upon the government to bar Western diplomats from paying similar visits.

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May 3, 2013 (KHARTOUM) – Sudan's ruling National Congress Party (NCP) secretary of External Relations and head of government delegation to negotiations with the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/North (SPLM-N) Ibrahim Ghandour dismissed any attempts to move venue of the talks away from Addis Ababa.

National Congress Party (NCP) external relations secretary Ibrahim Ghandour

Ghandour, who was speaking in an interview on the state's radio said that the only available alternative for Addis Ababa is Sudan.

Last week, the first round of talks between the SPLM-N and the Sudanese government since 2011 in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa have adjourned without success in achieving any breakthrough.

Ghandour also confirmed reports that Washington has extended an invitation for the NCP to visit the US explaining that s delegation to the U.S. will be comprised of himself, presidential assistant Nafie Ali Nafie and Ambassador Osama Faisal who is in charge of U.S. relations.

Late last month, the Obama administration has invited a senior delegation from the NCP to visit Washington for high-level discussions.

However, some media reports have suggested that Washington arranging a meeting between SPLM-N's leader Malik Agar and Ghandour.

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May 03, 2013 (JUBA) – The Chairperson of South Sudan Relief and Rehabilitation Commission(SSRRC) has warned communities and the national army (SPLA) to avoid getting soaked into “internal problems" within the country's-ruling party (SPLM).

SSRRC chairperson Peter Lam Both (goss)

Peter Lam Both, in an interview with Sudan Tribune, said the SPLM is currently facing internal leadership problems, which can only be resolved by its top leaders from within the party, not outside it.

“What the party [SPLM] is facing is an internal problem that was created by its leaders within the party. The SPLA and communities must not be part of this problem in any way,” the SSRRC head said on Friday.

He further stressed that only the SPLM political bureau, its National Liberation Council (NLC) the party's extraordinary meeting were capable of resolving the SPLM's current problems, which has attracted lots of public debates.

Both, who previously served as Upper Nile state's Information Minister, said it was "too immature” for SPLM members to begin discussing transition, while the party's constitution is still in its draft stage and the country's Transitional Constitution is under review.

“The party constitution, which should guide members on the transfer of power within the party, is still not passed. Our Transitional Constitution, as you know, is yet being reviewed. It's too immature to talk about transition,” he said.

The official further told Sudan Tribune that it will be the mandate of the National Election Commission (NEC) to set guidelines and criteria for the conduct of the much-anticipated elections, expected in 2015.

Last week, the Jikany-Nuer community, disturbed by the ongoing political atmosphere in the country, called its members for a meeting, which took place on April 21. At the meeting, participants reportedly adopted a resolution calling on President Salva Kiir and his Vice President Riek Machar to play peaceful politics and prevent a leadership crisis.

However, the community, including lawmakers in the national legislature, on Thursday accused the SSRRC chairperson of “desperate lies” after he issued a statement said to be contrary to what they discussed at a meeting they held with President Kiir.

Both, in a separate interview, denied he ever said something negative, while appearing on the state-owned SSTV.

“What I said on television was not something bad, unless people misunderstood me. I only said what SPLM is facing is a leadership problem from within, and communities should not get involved into it,” Lam stressed.

“I did not say the Vice President was the cause of the problem, as many people seem to imply,” he added.

At the time, the SSRRC chairperson was understood to be alluding to reports of the unfolding controversy within the south-ruling party, regarding the party chairmanship.

The SPLM has been preparing to hold its convention this year in which it will either confirm Kiir as its chairman or decide to elect a new chairperson who will also run in the 2015 presidential elections on the party's ticket.

Machar, who is also the SPLM deputy chairperson, declared his intention in the last SPLM politburo meeting to compete for the party's top post, while also criticising Kiir for what he described as his failure to provide guidance and vision to the party.

The VP also rapped his boss for being unable to navigate the nation through the state-building process as the ship's captain by not tackling the rampant corruption, overwhelming insecurity, poor economy, tribalism and ineffective international relations among others.

Machar's unusual criticism is widely believed to have prompted Kiir to issue an order last month withdrawing all unspecified “delegated powers” which were previously given to his deputy.

(ST)

May 3, 2013 (KHARTOUM) – The head of the African Union-United Nations Mission in Darfur (UNAMID), Mohamed Ibn Chambas, maintains that the best solution to the Darfur crisis is achieving lasting peace and stability in the war-torn region in western Sudan.

The joint special representative (JSR) made the comments while conducting a series of field visits across the five Darfur states to assess the security, humanitarian and political situation.

As part of the eight-day visit, Chambas met with representatives of internally displaced persons (IDPs), traditional leaders, state authorities and UNAMID staff.

“The best solution to the conflict in Darfur is to achieve a lasting peace, allowing conditions to normalise so that citizens can live without fear or intimidation,” said Chambas, who concluded his visit on Tuesday.

Chambas used the official visit to the Darfur states to reiterate the mission's commitment to protect civilians caught up in the 10-year conflict.

On the first of his visits, the JSR met with leaders of the Shadad and Niyasha IDP camps in Shangil Tobaya, North Darfur to discuss matters related to protection and security, while on a separate visit to Kalma IDP camp in South Darfur, Chambas delivered similar reassurances to residents there.

“UNAMID and its humanitarian partners will continue to do their best in addressing the needs of the local community,” said Chambas in statement extended to Sudan Tribune on Thursday.

At a meeting in East Darfur state with wali (governor) Abdulhamid Musa Kasha, the JSR expressed his gratitude for the cooperation shown to UNAMID and its UN country team partners in the delivery of humanitarian aid to Labado and Muhajeria, where recent clashes between the Sudanese government and a faction of the Sudan Liberation Army led by Minni Minawi (SLA-MM) has displaced several thousand inhabitants.

On a visit to the villages, the JSR assessed the situation on the ground and met with UNAMID personnel to express appreciation for their professional conduct in the protection of civilians throughout the crisis, particularly after the death of one peacekeeper and the injury of two others in an attack on the mission's Muhajeria base.

During the first phase of the humanitarian assistance operation to the area last week, UNAMID says it delivered more than 80,000 kilograms of humanitarian aid to thousands of displaced civilians. The second phase of the operation got underway on 29 April.

During meetings with state authorities in East and South Darfur, the JSR also stressed the importance of ensuring continued access by UNAMID and other humanitarian organisations to enable the delivery of aid to IDPs concentrated around UNAMID bases in Muhajeria and Labado.

Meanwhile, in Zalingei, Central Darfur, the JSR met with leaders of the Hassa Hissa and Nertiti IDP camps to listen to their concerns. He also highlighted the benefits that both the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur (DDPD) and the financial pledges made at the Darfur donors' conference could bring in terms of achieving lasting peace and much-needed development in the restive region.

Chambas concluded his visit in in El Geneina, West Darfur, where he met with community leaders at the Mornei IDP camp. Home to 85,000 residents, the camp is the largest in the state.

He commended the residents of the camp for the cordial relations that exist between them and UNAMID personnel, pledging the mission's continued commitment and dedication to work for the protection and welfare of the IDPs and the Darfurian civilian population.

The Darfur visit was Chambas' first in his official capacity as UNAMID's JSR, a post he assumed on the 1 April.

(ST)

Human Rights Watch

Sudan: Stepped-Up Assault on Media Freedom

Newspapers, Other Media Censored, Confiscated, Shut Down

MAY 3, 2013

(Nairobi) – Sudan should immediately stop censoring newspapers and end all forms of repression of media and journalists, on World Press Freedom Day.

In recent weeks, authorities have stepped up censorship of print media. Authorities at the National Telecommunications Corporation also block access to the websites of the opposition online newspaper Hurriyat and the popular forum Sudanese Online.

“Sudan muffles critical speech through a long menu of direct and indirect tactics, violating the basic freedoms enshrined in the constitution,” said Daniel Bekele, Africa director at Human Rights Watch. “Sudan should stop trying to silence anyone who says anything the government doesn't like.”

Although Sudan's 15 daily political newspapers have a greater semblance of freedom than the state-controlled broadcast media, the newspapers are subject to various methods of censorship and punitive measures for publishing articles on sensitive issues. The National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) is largely responsible for these tactics.

On April 3, 2013, NISS re-imposed direct pre-printing censorship on at least four independent dailies: al-Ayyam, al-Sahafa, al-Khartoum, and al-Youm al-Tali. The first two are being censored directly, required to clear the content of each edition with NISS officials in advance. The other two were later exempted from this process, but are still getting phone calls from security officials directing their coverage.

For example, after a police mutiny in West Darfur on April 21, an NISS official called al-Khartoum newspaper, one of the paper's editors told Human Rights Watch: “They told us not to mention a single word outside the official statement of the Ministry of Interior on the events.”

On March 24, NISS confiscated al-Khartoum's print run because the newspaper published a report about a protest planned by the families of six political detainees. Most of the detainees have been held for almost four months without any judicial review because they held talks in January with rebel groups in the Ugandan capital, Kampala.

When the paper's editors asked the NISS official who had the issue confiscated for an explanation, he said the paper “has already crossed the red lines too many times,” the editor told Human Rights Watch.

In September 2009, President Omar Al-Bashir announced the end of more than a year of pre-publication censorship for all newspapers, a system under which NISS officials visited the newspaper offices every night to screen draft copies and expunge any objectionable content on a long list of sensitive issues.

The banned topics included the armed conflicts in the country's peripheries and the indictment of Al-Bashir by the International Criminal Court (ICC). In announcing the decision to lift censorship, al-Bashir warned journalists not to cross the “red lines” and required chief editors of newspapers to sign a document obliging them to exercise “self-censorship.”

However, NISS officials continued to use various tactics to exercise censorship, ranging from making phone calls to issuing orders about coverage to confiscating entire editions or shutting down newspapers without court orders. On January 2, 2012, the NISS closed down the anti-government Ray Al-Sha'b and 10 days later the privately owned al-Wan, both without explanation. Al-Wan was allowed to resume publishing on March 15, 2012 while Ray Al-Sha'b remains closed.

On June 11, the NISS director-general, Mohammed Atta, suspended publication of the privately owned newspaper al-Tayyar, which remains closed. NISS suspended another privately owned daily, al-Jareeda, on September 27, but allowed it to resume publishing on December 15.

In August 2011, following South Sudan's independence from Sudan, the NISS closed down six newspapers, including the anti-government Ajrass al-Hurriya, on the pretext that their shareholders include citizens from South Sudan. And in mid-2012, the government again stepped up harassment of journalists and censorship in the aftermath of fighting between Sudanese and South Sudanese forces at Heglig oil fields. In late 2011 and early 2012, NISS effectively blacklisted 15 journalists.

While many of the journalists were later allowed to resume work, Rasha Awad, a columnist, has not been permitted to write since NISS shut down Ajrass al-Hurriya, where she had worked. Haidar al-Mukashfi, a prominent columnist at al-Sahafa, was suspended for nearly a year, beginning on April 24, 2012, when he was summoned to the NISS media office in Khartoum, interrogated for four hours and ordered not to write again until he received further notice. He was only allowed to resume writing on April 12, 2013, after his editor-in-chief obtained permission from NISS.

More recently, the editor-in-chief of the newspaper al-Sahafa, al-Nur Ahmad al-Nur, said that NISS ordered him on April 3 to resign from his position because of articles the paper had run, or the NISS would ensure that the paper was closed down for good.

Sudan's National Security Act of 2010 gives the NISS sweeping powers of arrest, search and seizure as well as immunity from prosecution for its agents. Sudan's interim constitution of 2005 guarantees freedom of the press, however, and does not give the security apparatus any powers of arrest or authority over the press.

Sudan is a party to both the African Charter on Human and People's Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and as such has undertaken legally binding obligations to respect free speech. The actions of the NISS against journalists and media outlets clearly violate these obligations, and the rights of Sudanese citizens, Human Rights Watch said.

“The security agency officials' intimidation and threats of the news media are clearly designed to ensure that the Sudanese people are kept in the dark about sensitive topics that are of huge public interest” Bekele said. “The security's agency's censorship also underscores the need for urgent reform of national security laws in line with international standards.”

May 4, 2013 (JUBA)- Kuol Deng Kuol, the paramount chief of the Nine Ngok Dinka of the disputed border region of Abyei has been killed in an ambush, officials here said today.

Troops from the United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) in Abyei (REUTERS/Tim McKulka/UNMIS Handout)

Edward Lino, the Co-Chair of the Abyei Joint Oversight Committee (AJOC), representing South Sudan said that chief Kuol, among others, were shot dead in an ambush by members of the rival Arabs nomads of Misseriya while they were in a convoy belonging to the United Nations Interim Force for Abyei (UNISFA) on their way back to Abyei town from a visit north of the area.

“The paramount chief Kuol Deng Kuol known as Kuol Adol in the area has been killed today in Abyei by the members of the Misseriya. He was part of my team which went to Abyei yesterday to hold a meeting with Sudanese delegation and after the meeting they visited Kej (Difra)" Lino told Sudan Tribune.

"You know Kej which they call Difra, literally meaning push away which clearly tells you that the area was inhibited by some people who are being pushed away, is where the oil is produced in Abyei which the government of Sudan is exploiting”, Lino added.

"As part of my team he went together with Sudanese delegation and they toured the area after talks, then the Sudanese delegation left to Muglad after concluding the visit and our team started returning to Abyei but they fell into an ambush on their way by members of the Misseriya who asked UNISFA force to surrender them. They started negotiating for release. This happened at around 1:00PM to 2:00PM when they were stopped and the negotiations went on until 6:00PM when they finally opened fire on the convoy and the chief was killed with others", the South Sudanese official explained.

He said the team had Deng Mading Mijak who is his deputy and Maguith Deng who is a senior member of the Abyei Joint Oversight Committee and the late paramount Chief Kuol Deng Kuol.

There were also other members from the area who were being escorted by UNISFA . They were together with Force Commander and his team.

Juac Agok, the deputy Chairperson of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) in the area also confirmed the incident, describing the killing as what the international community had wanted to happen first in the area before they could begin to take seriously what they warned about Khartoum seeking to sabotage conduct of the referendum in the area.

“They have killed the chief. Our paramount chief has now been confirmed dead. There are also some people but I do not know how many. I have heard of three people but it could be more because they were in a convoy. I think this was what the international community had wanted to hear first. The international community never showed any interest in resolving the conflict of Abyei. They wanted the people of Abyei to be wiped out as this is the policy of the government of Sudan" Agok said.

"We have been saying that the government of Sudan did not withdraw forces from Abyei and it is openly arming Misseriya tribes. The international community is always quick to condemn and put pressure on the government of South Sudan but does nothing when Sudan violates and defies directives of the African Union and Security Council of the United Nations”, the emotionally charged official told Sudan Tribune Saturday.

South Sudan's Minister of Cabinet Affairs, Deng Alor Kuol. who is also from the area and is a relative of the deceased paramount chief, said his government will hold the government of Sudan responsible for the killing because the incident shows that Khartoum armed the Misseriya members and sent them to the area “to carry out terrorist-like activities”.

“It is with deep regret that I inform you of the death of our paramount chief Kuol Adol. He was killed this evening in an ambush by Misseriya. The government of Sudan will definitely pay for his death and those who have died with him. This is clear act of terrorism and Khartoum must not be allowed to get away with it like other atrocities it had committed in the area before”, Alor told weeping family members who gathered in his house after learning the incident on Saturday.

South Sudan's Inspector General of Police, Pieng Deng Kuol, said “armed activities of the government of Sudan in the area were no longer bearable” before collapsing, indicating the level of anger generated by the incident within the community.

Kuol Deng, a senior civil servant in the Abyei said the killing of the paramount chief of the area was an organised plan by the government of Sudan because it happened after its delegation left.

“There should be no guesswork as to who is behind this incident. The killing of our chief and those who have died with him today was an organised plan. The government of Sudan knows it. You can see that it happened just after the Sudanese delegation left the area. The delegation knew it well. They knew even the time the plan would be carried out. This is clear terrorist work”, Deng told Sudan Tribune.

The United Nations Interim Force for Abyei did not respond to a call by Sudan Tribune on Saturday and there was no immediate official release by the government South Sudan.

A Misseriya chief speaking to Agence France Presse (AFP) also confirmed the death, saying Kuol "was killed today" but accused UNISFA of provoking the clash.

"A group of Misseriya stopped the convoy and started negotiations. Then a clash happened when a UNISFA soldier shot one of the Misseriya who was readying his weapon," said the Misseriya chief who asked to remain anonymous.

During the resulting clash, "the Dinka leader's car was hit by an explosion and he and his driver were killed".

Another anonymous resident told AFP that the Misseriya wanted to know why a Dinka was being taken through their zone, and negotiations "continued for a long time".

At some point gunfire broke out, "and they shot the car of the Dinka chief", he added, without specifying who opened fire.

In New York the UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon issued a statement condemning the assassination of Kuol.

"The Secretary-General strongly condemns the killing of the Ngok Dinka Paramount Chief Deng Kuol Deng and a UNISFA peacekeeper in an attack by a Misseriya assailant on a UNISFA convoy in the Abyei Area, today. Two peacekeepers were also seriously wounded in the incident" said the statement.

He urged Khartoum, Juba, Ngok Dinka and Misseriya communities "to remain calm and avoid any escalation of this unfortunate event".

"This proves again how crucially important it is for the two Governments to establish the temporary institutions as stipulated in the 20 June 2011 Agreement and continue discussions on the final status of the Abyei Area" Ban said.

Abyei was scheduled to have a referendum in January 2011 to decide its fate but it never took place as Khartoum and Juba disagreed on who should be able to participate.

Last year, the African Union mediation team proposed that a referendum be held in the contested region this October, but that only those residing permanently in the area would be allowed to vote in the plebiscite, and decide whether they want to join Sudan or South Sudan.

This proposal would effectively make the majority of voters come from the Dinka Ngok tribe, aligned with South Sudan, thus putting the Arab Misseriya nomads, who spend several months in Abyei every year grazing, not part of the voting.

According to the mediators, exclusion of the Misseriya nomads, in line with the decision of the Hague-based arbitration court, which defined the territory of the nine Ngok Dinka chiefdoms in July 2009.

However, Sudan swiftly rejected the plan, which received the blessing of the AU Peace and Security Council.

(ST)

May 4, 2013 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) has completely surrounded the district of Abu Kershola that was overrun by rebels from the Sudan Revolutionary Front (SRF) last week, well-placed sources in the South Kordofan government said.

Displaced Sudanese people from the district of Abu Kershola arrive on 29 April in the North Kordofan town of El Rahad (EBRAHIM HAMID/AFP/Getty Images)

The army expects to assert control over the town in the coming hours, the sources said, before adding that the SAF is eyeing Kauda, a rebel stronghold since the conflict broke out in South Kordofan almost two years ago.

Kauda is located 92 kilometres to the east of South Kordofan's state capital of Kadugli.

A week ago, the SRF, which includes the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N), along with several Darfur rebel groups, launched a major offensive most notably in Um Rawaba, the second-largest town in North Kordofan state, during coordinated attacks on several nearby areas.

In the past, the rebels' military activity was generally confined to the Darfur region, as well as the border states of South Kordofan and Blue Nile. The only exception was in 2008 when the Darfur Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) attacked Sudan's twin capital of Omdurman.

The Sudanese government has come under fire from citizens of Um Rawaba who accused it of negligence and leaving the area exposed. There have also been mounting calls for the defence minister, Abdel-Rahim Mohamed Hussein, to resign over his handling of the matter, even from pro-government lawmakers.

In an interview published on Saturday in pro-government al-Rayaam daily, Hussein said that the SAF was compelled to fight in South Kordofan and the Blue Nile because the SPLM-N is unwilling to agree to peace in these two areas.

The defence minister stressed that the government only resorted to war as it had no other options, pointing out that war is the last and worst stage of diplomacy.

The top military official also addressed criticisms of his performance and allegations that he remains in his post, despite numerous failures, because of his relationship with president Omer Hassan al-Bashir.

“Anyone who does not accept criticism will never be a leader”, he said.

“My relationship with the president is purely without ulterior motives, a brotherhood relationship, regardless of whether or not he was president”, Hussein added.

It's not the first time Hussein has faced pressure to step down from his position.

In 2012, following the fall of the oil-rich town of Heglig at the hands of the South Sudanese army (SPLA), the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) bloc in parliament called on the presidency to relieve the defence minister of his duties for failing to foresee the invasion of the area which produces half of Sudan's crude output.

Critics also note JEM's surprise attack on the capital, which rattled the army at the time despite government forces quickly repulsing it.

It was reported that Bashir swiftly rejected calls that he sack Hussein, telling members of his party that it is a “red line”. Like Bashir, Hussein has also been indicted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for alleged crimes in Sudan's western Darfur region.

(ST)

May 4, 2013 (JUBA) - Rebel forces from the South Sudan Democratic Movement/Army (SSDM/A) are seriously advising civilians and NGOs to leave the South Sudanese towns of Kapoeta and Pibor within a week, amid concerns for their safety.

An aerial view of Pibor at the start of the rainy season June 21, 2012 (REUTERS/Adriane Ohanesian)

Rebels led by David Yau Yau have reportedly claimed responsibility for an attack in Pibor - home of a minority Murle community from which Yau Yau hails - earlier this week, in which a South Sudanese soldier was killed.

The group has also threatened to mount more attacks in areas around the towns, located in Eastern Equatoria and Jonglei states respectively.

The SSDM/A was not among the thousands of rebel forces that surrendered their weapons in Unity state's Mayom county on April, 26 after accepting an amnesty offer from president Salva Kiir.

According to reports by Reuters, some 3,000 rebel fighters from the South Sudan
Liberation Army (SSLA) crossed the border from Sudan with about 100 trucks and handed over their weapons to authorities in the oil-rich state, which lies on the border between the two countries.

“Our struggle against the regime in Juba is not over until all the conditions of the SSDA are met,” the spokesman for the SSDM/A, Col. Peter Konyi Kubrin, said in a statement on Thursday.

“In order to bring to an end to the suffering of our people, arrest the collapse of our nascent nation, and to rid it of the dictatorship gripping it now, a popular revolution must take place”, he added.

KEY DEMANDS

The SSDM/A's 12 key demands include the dissolution of the current South Sudanese government, which it wants replaced by a transitional revolutionary government until general elections can be held and a permanent constitution enacted.

The group wants the SPLA transformed into a truly professional and inclusive national unit.

It has called for special priority to be given to the delivery of services and infrastructure, as well as radical economic reform in policies and institutions in order to ensure food security and fast-track industrialisation.

In addition, the SSDM/A says civil services should be restructured so that it is based solely on qualification and experience, with rapid legal and security reforms needed to ensure good governance in the country.

“The new government shall take swift action to resolve the tribal disputes by peaceful means [and] take legal means to prosecute all those involved in corruption and request the repatriation of the money embezzled from the countries where the accounts are kept”, the list of demands included.

Other demands related to the establishment of good relations with neighbouring African countries, as well as the international community for the mutual benefit and interest of the South Sudanese people.

The SSDM/A said it also stands ready to negotiate in good faith with the Sudanese government on outstanding issues between the two countries in the context of its sovereignty over its territories.

“We are not war mongers but are seeking a serious peaceful resolution to the armed conflict through dialogue and negotiations”, Kubrin added.

AMNESTY REJECTED

Kubrin said the amnesty offer was rejected on the basis that the rebel group still had “genuine grievances” against the South Sudanese government, which had yet to be addressed.

In an earlier statement issued last month, the SSDM/A questioned the credibility of Kiir's offer, saying the announcement was made through the mass media without any direct consultation with the group's leadership.

“If the Government of the Republic of South Sudan is serious about a negotiated peaceful settlement to the current conflict in the country, then as the government of the day, they should address us directly on the matter rather than resorting to mass media. They know how to get to us”, Kubrin said in the previous statement.

“We are serious about the attainment of peace in our country. However, history tells us that peace without justice, equality and dignity is bound to be short-lived”, he added.

The apparent mass surrender of troops last month came after Kiir repeated an amnesty offer first made to rebel commanders ahead of South Sudan's independence in 2011.

The deal has raised hopes of an end to nearly three years of upheaval concentrated along strategic border areas with neighbouring Sudan.

Yau Yau launched a rebellion in after failing to win a seat in state parliament, accusing the ruling party, the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM), of election rigging.

He briefly re-joined the government in response to a presidential amnesty last year, only to rebel again later.

(ST)

May 4, 2013 (RUMBEK) - The wife of a Lakes state political advisor was arrested on Saturday after being attacked by her neighbour in Malakia.

The cause of dispute between family members of Dut Malual Arop, a political advisor to Lakes state government, and their neighbours is still unconfirmed.

Lakes state police investigators confirmed to Sudan Tribune that the incident occurred on Saturday when a neighbour of the political advisor attacked his family home.

“The cause is now being investigated. We have arrested them all - the family of [the] Lakes state political advisor, including his wife Asha is under arrest”, the police officer said on condition of anonymity.

The arrests were made despite laws providing immunity for crimes committed by other family members.

Police have faced blame for not maintaining the rule of law in the Lakes state, however, they say the laws hamper efforts to punish those involved in petty crime and clashes.

On Wednesday, the residential house of Lakes state's commissioner of headquarters, James Aguer, was also targeted in a surprise attack reportedly carried out by relatives of a girl who was allegedly impregnated by Aguer's family member.

Under censorship measures introduced by the Lakes state's minister of information and communications, state media has been warned not to broadcast anything related to internal attacks on government officials.

The state-owned radio station FM98 remained silent this week over the separate attacks on the homes of the two senior government officials.

The minister has also criticised international media for portraying a negative image of the government since January.

In a separate story, a driver employed by the ruling Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) in Lakes state has reportedly died as a result of a suspected heart attack.

Mel William Angok died on Saturday evening, according to his family.

Lakes state's acting SPLM secretary, Mabor Ater Dhuol, attended a funeral service held for his driver at Malith cemetery the following day.

(ST)

May 4, 2013 (KHARTOUM) – The governor of Khartoum state, Abdulrahman al-Khidir, has accused opposition forces of exploiting demands of residents and driving a wedge between them and the police forces during recent protests which took place at Om Doum neighborhood in east Khartoum.

Governor of Khartoum state Abdulrahman Al-Khidir (Al-Ahdath newspaper)

Late last month, hundreds of Om Doum residents staged demonstrations, blockading the main street and setting tires on fire to express fury against what they say are government plans to give away part of their lands to a Saudi investor.

The protestors blocked the main road of Om Doum outside the capital Khartoum prompting Sudanese police to intervene and using tear gas and batons to break up the protests leading to scores of injuries.

A teenager named Mohamed Abdel-Bagi was killed in the aftermath. Sudan police said in a statement last week that Abdel-Bagi died as a result of injuries he sustained during the clashes but denied that it was a result of bullet wounds.

The governor stressed that his state is open for dialogue and negotiation on all land disputes, calling upon residents who believe that they have similar cases to resort to legal means.

However he warned that the state will not succumb to pressure as a result of people taking to the streets unless there is a "just cause". He accused opposition of rallying non- Om Doum people in these protests.

Al-Khidir disclosed that there was already a committee that was getting ready to review the case of Om Doum until the protests erupted and stalled its work.

Like in other African countries, Gulf Arab investors have been investing into farmland in Sudan, which struggles with an economic crisis, to secure food supplies. Critics say some investors take advantage of poor countries and farmers.

(ST)

May 4, 2013 (KHARTOUM) – Youssef Tahir Qureshi, an adviser to the governor of Sudan's Northern state on electricity and dam matters, said that the Kajbar dam project is expected to flood 12 villages in the east and west banks of the river Nile covering 3,600 acres.

FILE - a protest against the construction of a dam in northern Sudan

Despite this, Qureshi said that the government is determined to proceed with the dam construction which is expected to generate 360 megawatts of electricity.

The official who was speaking at a forum hosted by Sudan official news agency (SUNA) underscored the importance of the dam in boosting economic and social development in the region. He noted that the dam would contribute to the creation of many heavy industries there using iron and minerals.

Qureshi stressed his government's keenness to compensate and resettle affected villagers saying it will create two agricultural projects for them covering an area of 17,000 and 29,000 acres respectively while promising to establish state of art resettlement areas which has all the required services and facilities.

He said that the upcoming stage will witness an open dialogue with anti-dam elements and urged citizens to understand the economic benefits of the dam which he said will result in a complete turnaround and create a prosperous future for the people.

A museum will be founded to collect the historical artifacts found in the region, Qureshi said adding that implementation of the dam project will start only after the process of compensation and resettlement is completed.

The Chinese-financed project has provoked strong opposition from the residents of the region and in 2007 police clashed with protestors killing four people.

(ST)

May 3, 2013 (RUMBEK) – Five people were killed and dozens wounded after suspected cattle raiders attacked a village in Lakes state's Cueibet County, officials said Friday.

Isaac Mayom Malek, the County Commissioner said cattle raiders from Tonj South County in neighbouring Warrap State, carried out the attack.

Also killed, he added, were 13 animals, with about 50 others seized during the attack.

Malek strongly condemned the incident, urging his Tonj South counterpart to recover the stolen animals so that they are returned to their rightful owners.

“I have asked [the] Tonj South commissioner to recover back those 50 cows with immediate [effect]. After being recovered, those cows will be sent back to Gap payam [district],” he told Sudan Tribune Friday.

The attack comes barely two months after the Commissioners Tonj East, Cueibet and Tonj South signed an inter-state peace chapter, designed to quell down insecurity across inter-state borders of Warrap, Lakes and Unity states.

“The aim [of the peace agreement] was to reduce cattle raiding activities,” Malek stressed.

Lakes state has, in recent months, initiated tough measures against cattle raiders and unlawful elements in the region.

However, since President Salva Kiir appointed a new caretaker governor in January, hundreds of youths have been arbitrarily arrested and detained over crimes linked to cattle raiding, inter-communal violence and possession of unregistered firearms.

(ST)

May 4, 2013 (JUBA) – The Jikany-Nuer community of the oil-rich South Sudan's Upper Nile state said their consistent message to president Salva Kiir and his deputy Riek Machar is to maintain peaceful internal party politics in the interest of the nation.

Jikany-Nuer community leaders posing picture with South Sudan Vice President, Riek Machar in Juba, May 4, 2013 (ST)

The community reiterated its recommendations to the two leaders during a Saturday meeting with the Vice president of South Sudan Riek Machar who is also the deputy chairman of the ruling party, the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM).

On Wednesday the community leaders in the parliament and executive branch met with Kiir and presented to him their concerns in a resolution they earlier passed that called on the two leaders to exercise restrain after commotions over internal party contest for chairmanship and a subsequent republican order by the president withdrawing “delegated powers” from the VP.

Confusion was also caused when one of the Jikany-Nuer sons and current chairman of the South Sudan Relief and Rehabilitation Commission (SSRRC), Peter Lam Both, on the state-owned SSTV said the “problem” between the two leaders was provoked by VP Machar.

The statement was met with sharp criticisms against Both by his colleagues who together met the president, stressing that Both's statement did not reflect the position of the community that was presented to the president in the meeting.

During the Saturday meeting with the vice-president community leaders confirmed that the statement by an “individual” was not the official position of the community and its leadership.

David Koak Guok, the chairman of the Jikany-Nuer community in Juba expressed satisfaction over the clarifications presented to them by the VP.

Guok, currently also the chairman of the South Sudan Local Government Board, quoted the VP as saying that there were no delegated powers withdrawn from him.

Machar explained that the “additional functions and duties” given to him in 2007 have either elapsed or that the VP had already discharged them.

Those delegated functions to the vice-president included overseeing the implementation of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) and conduct of the referendum on self-determination.

Both processes ended with the January 2011 vote and declaration of independence in July 2011, the VP told the delegation.

Machar, he added, assured them that there were no personal differences between him and his president, adding that only normal internal party politics on transformation and transition were being discussed.

The community however called upon the two leaders to publicly reassure the nation of their continued comradeship in the government and affirming their desire to play peaceful party politics without involving the army or polarizing the communities.

Jikany-Nuer community of the eastern bank of the River Nile inhabits four counties of
Nasir, Maiwut, Longochuk and Ulang in South Sudan's Upper Nile state, with an overall population of nearly half a million, according to the 2008 population census.

In Unity state, the Jikany-Nuer of the western bank inhabits one county, Guit, near the capital, Bentiu.

Leaders like the incumbent governor Taban Deng Gai and Angelina Teny, wife of the vice-president, both come from the Jikany-Nuer community of Unity state.

The community also has a sizable population across the border in the Ethiopian region of Gambella which borders Upper Nile and Jonglei states and its members hold senior political positions in the neighboring country, including the current president of Gambella region, Gatluak Tut Khot.

Familiar places to South Sudanese such as the historical place, Bilpam, where the SPLM/A was headquartered during the civil war years, and Itang, where most of the South Sudanese refugees were resettled in Ethiopia are also inhabited by the Ethiopian Jikany-Nuer communities across the borders.

(ST)

May 5, 2013 (JUBA) - The national reconciliation committee recently appointed by South Sudan's president Salva Kiir has officially began its mandate of overseeing efforts to reconcile the various communities in the country and identify the root causes of the conflicts with the aim of addressing them.

Chairman of newly established committee for national reconciliation, Archbishop Daniel Deng Bul, receives documentations from South Sudan Vice President Riek Machar in Juba May 4, 2013 (ST)

Under the chairmanship of Archbishop Daniel Deng Bul of the Episcopal Church, the new committee, which is predominantly composed of religious leaders was handed over documents on Saturday compiled by the outgoing committee in a ceremony presided over by South Sudan Vice President Riek Machar.

South Sudan's president issued a presidential order last month dissolving the former committee chaired by presidential adviser Tor Deng Mawien and established a new committee.

The documents handed over included the road map for the national reconciliation process, Conflict Mapping of all counties, detailing areas of conflicts, as well as files of the recently trained 200 peace mobilizes from the ten states and Juba, among others.

In extensive remarks to the new committee, VP Machar urged the committee to work hard and try to reconcile the communities that were separated by war.

Machar reminded the new committee about the complexity of the reconciliation program, urging the team to address all the interrelating factors that cause conflicts in order to achieve true reconciliation in the country.

He also appealed to the international partners including the international Initiatives of Change and the Swiss government to continue supporting the new committee.

Machar also reminded the team that even those in the Diaspora have become tribal internet warriors due to the high level of trauma they possess and also urged the new committee to design ways to help them relieve the trauma.

“It is good that they express their feelings; but the question is whether it cures their trauma particularly when they are hostile to one another in the internet,” he inquired.

The Presidential advisor and former chairman of the organizing committee for national reconciliation, Tor Deng Mawien, also briefed the new committee on the activities the committee had so far achieved.

Mawien said the council of ministers had already approved 8.2 million South Sudanese pounds (SSP) in support of the process, which the committee should pursue with the finance ministry.

However he lamented that his committee had no assets or offices to hand over because they were using his presidential advisory office.

Archbishop Daniel Deng Bul, in his remarks commended the previous committee for thorough documentation and preparations they have already made.

He appreciated the guidance provided by the Vice President and appealed to the leadership to continue doing so in order to succeed in its mission.

“I don't think this committee formed by the president will do it alone. It will be a big mistake,” Archbishop Bul said.

“The field I am coming into is not my field; it is not a religious field,” he added, acknowledging the complexity of the reconciliation process.

Bul however expressed his commitment along with his colleagues including Archbishop Paride Taban of Torit Diocese to try their best.

He was previously appointed by Kiir to chair a peace and reconciliation process in the troubled Jonglei state last year. He faced difficulties when the Murle community of Pibor county in the state accused him of allegedly siding with his native Dinka Bor in the mediation process, causing the process to collapse as the Murle withdrew.

(ST)

May 3, 2013 (KHARTOUM) – The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Sudan revealed that the Sudanese government has denied aid agencies access to the town of Gereida in South Darfur and barred humanitarian flights.

A woman carrying her baby rests near a stove made of mud at a women development programme centre funded by World Food Programme (WFP) at Shagra village in North Darfur October 18, 2012, during a visit by a delegation of Ambassadors of European Union to Sudan (REUTERS/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah)

In its humanitarian bulletin, OCHA expressed frustration with the conduct of the Sudanese authorities saying that it would negatively impact the distribution of aid in the town which has witnessed clashes between Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and Sudan Liberation Army of Minni Minnawi (SLA-MM).

"State security services have not allowed UN Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) flights, UN trucks or UN personnel to visit Gereida for the last month, affecting food aid distributions" the report said.

The UN body pointed out that the World Food Program (WFP) has scaled down its activities in Gereida and moved its staff and equipments to the headquarters of the African Union-United Nations Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) for their own safety.

The report which is issued periodically by OCHA said that 50.000 people have fled towns of Muhajiriya and Labado in East Darfur as a result of clashes which took place between SAF and SLA-MM last month but noted that there is some improvement.

"According to the latest reports, the situation around Muhajiriya town in East Darfur state is improving. Some limited returns are reportedly occurring and the local market reopened on 23 April, but many other people continue to flee the area to camps in East and South Darfur," OCHA said.

"In Labado, the number of displaced people sheltering around the UNAMID Team Site is said to have decreased to some 7,000 people from the previous estimate of 13,000. There are reports that the security situation around Labado is tense with unconfirmed reports of looting by some militia groups".

The report further said that the World Health Organization (WHO) is offering support to national aid agencies in order to provide primary health care for displaced people from the district of Abu Kershola who arrived in the North Kordofan town of El-Rahad.

It pointed out that the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) is waiting for the government's approval to send non-food relief supplies from its warehouse in El Obeid to an estimated 20.000 displaced people

OCHA also expressed its concern over the lack of toilets in schools which accommodate displaced people in El-Rahad.

"There is a lack of latrines and other sanitation facilities in El Rahad and this is posing a significant public health problem following the large influx of people," said the report.

A week ago, the Sudan Revolutionary Front (SRF), which includes the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N), along with several Darfur rebel groups, launched a major offensive most notably in Um Rawaba, the second-largest town in North Kordofan state and Abu Kershola in South Kordofan, during coordinated attacks on several nearby areas.

OCHA's report said that tribal fighting between the Beni Halba and Gimir tribes is ongoing and resulted in the killing of 7 people while tensions are growing in Kateela locality despite a reconciliation conference which was held in Nyala, adding that additional forces have been deployed to prevent further tensions.

According to government-linked Humanitarian aid commission (HAC) the violence has led to the displacement of 2,000 people from the Gimir and Assignor tribes into Bulbul Timbisko town which is located 25 km west of Nyala.

The report warned that 34,000 displaced people in North Darfur's town of Saraf Omra who were displaced from Khoran village who requested security personnel, shelter, schools, water points and healthcare facilities so they could return before the rainy season.

OCHA noted that 3,700 people who were displaced from areas of Abu Shikan, Tega, Kerat, Gilea, Amar Jadeed, Hashaba, Satil and Shatat Teram are not planning to return to their homes due to lack of security.

(ST)