May 11, 2013 (KHARTOUM) – The Strategic Reserves department at the Agricultural Bank of Sudan (ABS) has acknowledged that the lack of storage capacity in the country has resulted in losing a quarter of grain production in the country.

A Sudanese farmer stands in a field of sorghum in Gezira state (AFP)

The department's director at the ABS Fadul Hassan Mohamed, disclosed that 25% of grain production was damaged due to poor storage.

Mohamed noted the gap between sorghum production which amounted to 4.3 million tons while the storage capacity was a mere 650,000 tons.

In a related issue, Mohamed told the official news agency (SUNA) that Sudan's annual wheat consumption is around 2 million tons while its production is only 300,000 tons.

He also revealed that there are 1.2 million bags of sorghum currently in storage on top of 1.5 million bags intended for export.

The director further added that there are 164,000 tons of wheat in storages and pointed out that they are expecting the arrival of an additional 100,000 tons from India this month.

Mohamed described that production levels of sorghum, wheat, millet and other grains as "comfortable" in all states including Darfur, South Kordofan, Blue Nile and war-affected areas.

In 2010, Sudan's former minister of agriculture, Abdel-Haleem al-Mutafi, said that Sudan targeted self-sufficiency in wheat production in five years' time and also plans to expand output of other grain crops.

(ST)

May 11, 2013 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudanese government on Saturday accused South Sudan of providing support to rebels from the Sudan Revolutionary Front (SRF) who have recently stepped up their attacks in multiple states across the country.

Sudan's President Omer Hassan al-Bashir (R) and South Sudan's President Salva Kiir (L) are pictured at Juba airport in Juba on April 12, 2013 (ALI NGETHI/AFP/Getty Images)

In a press release, the National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) claimed that Juba provided rebels with "large numbers" of four-wheel drive cars that were recently handed to Sudan Liberation Movement of Minni Minnawi (SLM-MM) and Sudan People Liberation Movement North (SPLM-N).

The security apparatus went on to say that more vehicles are en route from South Sudan to SPLM-N and Darfur's Justice and Equality Movement (JEM).

The SPLM-N, JEM, SLM-MM are among several groups that make up the SRF which has launched several attacks last month in north and south Kordofan states that took the government by surprise as it included areas that were in the past were believed to be beyond the reach of the rebel groups.

At the time, the spokesperson of Sudan Armed Forces (SAF), Colonel al-Sawarmi Khalid Sa'ad said that they have "no proof” linking South Sudan to the recent rebels' offensive.

“South Sudan has no links to the recent assault on [North Kordofan town of] Um Rawaba”, he said.

Relations between Khartoum and Juba have dramatically improved following the deal inked last March between the two neighbors to implement cooperation agreements signed last year related to several disputed items such as oil.

Last month Sudanese president Omer Hassan al-Bashir paid a visit to Juba for the first time since the country's partition into north and south in July 2011. It was believed to commence a new phase in relations that were by brinkmanship.

The NISS alleged that South Sudan supplied fuel, ammunition and training to rebels in several camps inside Unity state with the goal of launching new attacks inside Sudan.

According to the statement, South Sudan also availed military hospitals to receive the wounded Sudanese rebels and produced travel documents for a number of wounded rebels who were evacuated from South Kordofan and transferred to hospitals in unspecified African countries.

Juba also provided housing in Juba to host SRF field commanders and also furnished funds to SPLM-N and SLM-MM, the NISS said.

Sudan has routinely accused Juba of backing SRF and the SPLM-N which fought alongside the mainstream SPLM throughout the north-south civil war.

But South Sudan dismissed those allegations saying they had severed ties with SPLM-N a long time ago. The rebel group is fighting SAF since 2011 in the border states of South Kordofan and Blue Nile.

The new accusations by Khartoum could prove troubling to regional and international players who have lauded the apparent thaw in ties between the two ex-foes.

This week South Sudan president Salva Kiir accused the Sudanese government of standing behind the assassination of Dinka Ngok chief in Kuol Deng Kuol in the disputed region of Abyei last weekend.

"It is the government of Sudan which killed the chief…I hold the government of Sudan, especially president Bashir himself responsible if he fails to produce criminals and ensure that they are tried by the independent and competent court of law" Kiir said.

South Sudan leader said that Khartoum wanted to undermine the Abyei referendum scheduled for October under the African Union (AU) plan which the Sudanese government has swiftly rejected.

(ST)

May 11, 2013 (KHARTOUM) – Sudan's ruling National Congress Party (NCP) confirmed on Saturday that a delegation will head soon to Washington for talks on bilateral relations and resolution of outstanding issues with its southern neighbour.

Presidential adviser Nafi Ali Nafi talks to reporters as U.S. Senator John Kerry (R) looks on after meeting at the presidential palace in Khartoum January 5, 2011 (Reuters)

The announcement of an invitation by Washington to a delegation led by the NCP's deputy chairman and presidential assistant Nafie Ali Nafie last April has sparked criticism among lawmakers and activists in the US.

Some reports have speculated that the US administration cancelled the invitation under in response to this pressure.

But the NCP secretary for Europe and the Americas, Sami Faisal El-Sayed affirmed on Saturday that the visit has not been cancelled and will proceed as planned adding that those who speak about is its cancellation aim at disrupting it.

El-Sayed further disclosed in an interview with the official Sudan News Agency (SUNA) that the invitation, which he described as "a good sign to build confidence" between the parties, is the result of a dialogue between the two countries through intermediaries he did not identify .

"What is important that we received the invitation and preparations for the visit are underway", he said.

He pointed out that the goal of the visit is to build trust between Khartoum and Washington to pave the way for a serious dialogue between the two sides.

"I cannot say that the visit will open or lead to the normalization of relations with the United States, but the goal is to build trust so that there is dialogue in various fields", he stressed.

Khartoum wants Washington to lift the long-standing economic sanctions and to remove its name from the list of state sponsors of terror.

But Washington, in return, says Sudan should first fix the outstanding issues with the south Sudan including Abyei referendum, to achieve justice in Darfur and allow humanitarian access to the rebel-held areas in Blue Nile and South Kordofan.

(ST)

May 11, 2013 (KHARTOUM) – The National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) announced today that the General Chief of Staff of the Sudan Revolutionary Front (SRF) Abdel-Aziz al-Hilu is alive and is running looting and killing activities in South Kordofan state against civilians.

General Chief of Staff of the Sudan Revolutionary Front (SRF) and Sudan People Liberation Movement North (SPLM-N) deputy chairman Abdel Aziz Adam El-Hilu (Reuters)

The NISS media officer said in a statement carried by state news agency that al-HIlu is also administering court-martials in the states as recently as Saturday .

The statement puts an end to earlier assertions by several government officials about al-Hilu's death during last month's SRF's attack in North Kordofan.

This week the Chairman of the Foreign Affairs, Security and Defense Committee in the Sudanese National Assembly Mohamed al-Hassan al-Amin said that the latest information available shows that al-Hilu died after sustaining injuries and was buried in the city of Wau in South Sudan.

The NISS stressed that they know where al-Hilu is and that they are treating him as a "terrorist".

Al-Hilu conducted an interview with Sudan Tribune late last month and dismissed government reports speaking about his demise.

(ST)

May 12, 2013 (KHARTOUM) - A former Darfur rebel faction has announced the death of its leader Mohamed Bashar and his deputy, Suleiman Arko, saying they were killed during an attack carried out by the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) inside Chad near the Sudanese border.

Mohamed Bashar (ST)

Bashar, who led a splinter JEM faction, was returning to Darfur from the Chadian capital before heading to Khartoum to start the implementation of a peace deal he signed with the government in Doha on 6 April.

Speaking to Sudan Tribune from Chad near where the incident occurred, Bashar's adviser, Nahar Osman, said that over 30 rebel vehicles had attacked Bashar's convoy in Pamina, 4kms from the common border between the two countries.

He added that Bashar and his delegation had not been under the escort of any military force, with the group accompanied to the border by only a lone Chadian security officer.

Asked to comment on the claims, JEM spokesperson Gibreel Adam Bilal confirmed the “clashes with Bashar's group”, adding that their fighters repelled an attack by the splinter group.

Bilal said that Bashar forces had attacked their group's base not far from the border with Chad, but rebel fighters stationed near the area had surrounded the assailants and dealt with them accordingly.

Meanwhile, JEM's military spokesperson, Badawi Musa Al-Sakin, released a short statement, saying that Bashar's group, supported by Chadian four-wheel drive vehicles and weapons had attacked them inside an area they control in remote North Darfur.

Sakin added they had “disarmed” the assailants, confiscating their weapons and ammunitions, but made no mention of the death of the dissident leader.

According to Osman 10 people were killed in the attack: “We lost Bashar, Suleiman Arko and another five members”, he said, adding that a Chadian security officer and two cattle keepers who were near the area were also killed in the attack.

Arko was the deputy chairman and led the negotiating team during peace talks with the Sudanese government.

In a statement released in Khartoum on Sunday, The National Security and Intelligence Services (NISS) confirmed the killing of the former rebel leader and his deputy, accusing JEM of seeking to topple ongoing efforts to end the 10-year conflict in Darfur.

The statement said the rebels who carried out the “terrorist crime” were led by three rebel commanders: Issa Al-Kuleib, Mahdi Hassab Allah, and Ibrahim Mahmoud.

The Chadian government has yet to comment on the incident.

Last April, JEM killed the deputy general commander of the breakaway faction, Saleh Moahmed Jarbo, following two-day clashes in the remote area of Furawiyya in North Darfur.

Osman reiterated that the group remains committed to the peace process in spite of the attacks that killed their former comrades.

(ST)

May 12, 2013 (NAIROBI) – South Sudanese citizens intending to travel to Botswana need not apply for entry visas any more, the Southern African nation announced last week.

The move, which took effect from 10 May, was made public in a statement issued by the Botswana High Commission in Nairobi, Kenya.

It however says all those intending to visit the country should ensure their passports are lawfully issued by the relevant South Sudanese authorities with a validity period of at least 12 months.

“All concerned are further informed that the requirements for valid travel documents stated in this communication will still be subject to the regulations of respective airlines and other transportation authorities,” partly reads a statement from the Nairobi-based High Commission

Botswana was among the African countries that recognised South Sudan's independence, when the latter seceded from neighboring Sudan in July 2011, as part of the 2005 peace deal.

A delegation from South Sudan, in December last year, paid a week-long visit to Botswana as part of efforts to promote stronger ties between the two countries.

The Southern African country, an official from the Petroleum ministry told Sudan Tribune, was key in providing technical assistance in the drafting of South Sudan's mining bill.

(ST).

May 11, 2013 (YEI/JUBA) – The British government, through its Department for International Development (DFID), has donated 200 primary school textbooks and teacher guides to Yei Teacher Training College (YTTC).

The books, DIFID said in a statement, will assist in training of teachers working in or to be deployed at primary schools and adult learning program centres all over South Sudan.

The donation is part of the ongoing national textbook distribution, aimed at providing teaching materials to the country's more than 4,900 schools.

Susan Voga, YTTC's deputy principle for academics, said the textbooks and guides donated are vital for training new and experienced teachers on preparation and execution of the lessons in classrooms.

She however stressed that special attention will be given to transfer skills in the handling and maintenance of the books so they can be used for a long time.

“The primary school textbooks and teacher guides will be added to the extensive library of the college which is efficiently managed by a committed and qualified librarian,” said Voga.

Established in 2001, YTTC is a privately owned, not for profit organization, offering a full time two year extensive tuition to pre-service teachers and special in-service training courses during the school holidays to employed teachers.

A total of 9.6 million textbooks, produced with funding from the UK aid arm, will be distributed to schools in payams [districts] across all South Sudan's 10 states.

(ST)

May 12, 2013 (JUBA) - The South Sudan Human Rights Society for Advocacy (SSHURSA) has called for South Sudan's deputy minister of interior to step down over the detention of two Juba Monitor newspaper journalists who were recently detained by police.

Managing editor Michael Koma was detained on 2 May and released three days later, while editor-in-chief Alfred Taban was taken into police custody on 6 May, where he was interrogated for eight hours.

Investigations by SSHURSA found that the journalists were detained under the orders of deputy interior minister Lt. General Salva Mathok Gengdit, who complained of being defamed by the newspaper and Unity's state's Bul community.

In a letter signed by their leaders and published in the Juba Monitor, members of the Bul community dismissed denials made by the minister over allegations related to the murder of Banyjioth Mathoat Tap from the Bul community, whose body was found under Mathok's house on 30 March.

The letter was the second published by the newspaper containing allegations the minister was involved in the young man's death. Mathok has strongly denied the claims.

SSHURSA says Mathok ordered police to summon the journalists and investigate Juba Monitor's senior management following the publication of the second letter, claiming his reputation had been tarnished by the newspaper and the Bul community.

SSHURSA says the actions of the police constitute a clear case of intimidation against the press and abuse of power by persons in a position of authority.

“This is a direct abuse of the rights to freedom of expression and media under Article 24 of the transitional constitution of South Sudan 2011. This constitutional provision allows every citizen to express, receive, disseminate or publish information within the limits of the law”, the human rights organisation said in a statement last Friday.

The annual press freedom index published by Reporters Without Borders (RWB) earlier this year puts South Sudan at 124th out of the 180 countries ranked, with the international media watchdog linking the country's low placing to the general heavy-handedness of government and security services.

SSHURSA said the detention of the journalists clearly violated a number of international and regional conventions signed by South Sudan on the protection of human rights and freedom of expression.

“The detention of the two journalists under unending interrogations in the truest sense of the meaning, amounts to inhuman and degrading treatment”, SSHURSA said in the statement.

“The police personnel, by detaining Michael Koma and Alfred Taban for three days and eight hours and keeping them in such situation of uncertainty respectively in the orders of the deputy minister of interior, have attacked the provisions of the constitution and the laws of South Sudan for which their sole constitutional establishment is meant to respect and protect”, it added.

SSHURSA have reiterated calls for South Sudan's president, Salva Kiir to step in and suspend Mathok from his ministerial duties with immediate effect, pending a full investigation into the murder.

“SSHURSA calls again upon the office of the prosecutor-general to courageously and independently go on with the investigations of the case, disallowing the ministry of interior to take any part and this shall [thus] remove [any] conflict of interest within the ministry of interior attempting to investigate itself”, the statement said.

SSHURSA is also seeking the withdrawal of defamation charges against the Juba Monitor and the Bul community.

In comments made after the discovery of Tap's body, Charles Machieng, the ex-commissioner of Unity state's Mayom county, said the boy had gone to a nearby shop on the 28 March but never returned home. His body was found two days later dumped behind Mathok's house, with traces of blood also leading to the scene.

The 25-year-old former traffic officer had been well-regarded in the Mayom community, with his murder described as “barbaric” and “an act of tribalism”.

(ST)

By Tesfa-Alem Tekle

May 12, 2013 (ADDIS ABABA) - The Federal Ethics and Anti-corruption Commission of Ethiopia (FEACC) on Saturday announced that it has detained 13 high-profile government officials and individuals on graft charges.

Among the arrested is minister Melaku Fenta, director general of the revenue and customs authority and his deputy Gebrewahed Woldegiorgis.

The latest move against the minister marks the country's first high-profile arrest on corruption related charges since 2001 when the former defense minister, Siye Abraha, who is currently an opposition official was similarly detained leading to a sentence of six years behind bars.

Ethiopian police made the arrests on Friday after a court issued a seizure and search warrant during which a huge sum of money including foreign currency was discovered in the residents of the ministers.

Others taken into custody include heads of customs offices, a prominent businessman and customs employees.

The commission said the arrests were made possible collaboration with the National Intelligence and Security Service as well as with the help of the public.

In a recent report, the Federal Ethics and Anti-corruption Commission revealed that it has recovered more than $1.1 million and other government assets including buildings and land lost in corruption during the last 10 months alone.

Sudan Tribune has learnt that during the above stated period of the fiscal year, the commission has undergone investigation to 339 corruption cases and verdict was given to over 164 cases.

Among 409 defendants, court has found 293 of them guilty on graft and related charges.

Despite the ongoing efforts of fight against corruption, the problem remains a major challenge to the horn of Africa's nation.

Corruption rankings for 176 countries worldwide by Transparency International in 2012 ranked Ethiopia 113th.

(ST)

May 12, 2013 (JUBA)- South Sudan on Sunday dismissed Sudanese government claims that it provides support to rebels opposed to Khartoum regime, saying such an allegation was a cover-up to the recent killing of tribal leader in Abyei.

South Sudanese Information Minister Barnaba Marial Benjamin 2 April 2 2012 (Getty)

“There is no single truth in these allegations. The government of the Republic of South Sudan has always been clear on these unfounded allegations. We have said time and again that South Sudan does not provide any support to any rebel. We believe in peaceful coexistence with our neighbours,” said South Sudan information minister, Barnaba Marial.

The claims by the government of Sudan are attempts to cover up the killing of the paramount chief of Abyei, he added.

Kuol Deng Majok, the paramount chief the Dinka Ngok and personnel from the United Nation Peacekeeping Force in Abyei (UNISFA) were killed when armed Arab nomads attacked their convoy in the disputed region, last week.

World bodies, including the US, strongly condemned the killing and called for investigations into the matter, seen as a blow in efforts to restore the previously strained relations between Sudan and South Sudan.

Marial said the allegations made by Khartoum comes as a “surprise”, given that the latter recently delinked South Sudan from any involvement in rebel activities within the northern territories.

“It was the government of Sudan which came out to dismiss and telling their press in Khartoum that we have no link to the rebel attack in the North and South Kordofan. Now they are turning around and make these unfounded allegations”, Marial told reporters in the capital, Juba.

He said it was the Sudanese government supporting militia groups, fighting proxy wars with South Sudan government on behalf of the northern establishment.

“We now have militia group who have just responded to the amnesty. They can themselves attest to the international community and the government of Sudan where they came. Ask them. They are now here in Juba and they will tell you who used to support them. They were in Sudan,” Marial stressed.

“These are hard facts, not allegations”, he added.

The minister, however, said his government was still committed to work with its Sudanese counterpart to give peace a chance and build trust between the two nations.

(ST)

May 12, 2013 (JUBA) - The leadership of a youth group from the oil-contested border region of Abyei have called for the immediate termination of the mandate of the United Nations Interim Force for Abyei (UNISFA), claiming the mission has failed to live up to its obligations since its establishment two years ago.

Late leader of Dinka Ngok tribe, Kuol Deng Kuol (L) shakes hands with the Misserya Al-Amer Mokhtar Papo after signing a peace agreement in the town of Kadugli north of Abeyi on January 13, 2011. (photo Khaled Desouki/AFP/Getty)

Mijak Kuol”, senior member of the Abyei Youth Union (AYU), told Sudan Tribune on Sunday that UNISFA's role had become redundant in the face of ongoing violence in the region, particularly the killing of the Ngok Dinka paramount chief Kuol Deng Kuol on 4 April.

The chief was killed after a convoy he was travelling in under the protection of UNISFA was ambushed by members of the rival Arab Misseriya tribe, in an attack the Sudanese government is accused of masterminding.

“There is no point to have [the] United Nations [peace]keeping force in Abyei. The situation started to deteriorate after deployment. Many of our people are killed in the presence of the so called peacekeeping force. People are killed within the vicinity of the UN camp in Abyei, which has never happened before. The living example was the killing of our chief in their hands”, said Kuol, who also cited the killing of Awet Ngor, a native of the Mulmul area, days before the chief was shot dead. UNISFA's base is located in the Mulmul area.

“Awet Ngor was killed in Mulmul just about two minutes walking distance to the UN camp. This has never happened before”, the youth leader said.

“We have asked our government to quickly terminate the mandate of this mission. This was our message which [we] gave the minister of cabinet affairs, Deng Alor Kuol, to deliver to our president [Salva Kiir]. We also conveyed the same message to the minister of foreign affairs and international cooperation, Nhial Deng Nhial, when he came to attend the burial of our chief”, he added.

The comments come as the South Sudanese government on Saturday rejected forming a joint administration with the Sudanese government in Abyei, accusing Khartoum of having “killed the spirit of dialogue” by assassinating the area's paramount chief.

Deng Mading Mijak, the co-chair of the Abyei Joint Oversight Committee (AJOC) representing South Sudan, has also called for a “review of the mandate of the mission”, saying the security situation in the area continued to deteriorate despite the presence of peacekeeping troops.

“The mandate of this mission should be reviewed. Our government should take it seriously. Our people are no longer feeling they can be protected by the United Nations troops in Abyei if their chief was killed in their hands”, Mijak told reporters on Saturday at a news conference in Juba.

Meanwhile, in a letter of protest signed by civil society organisations and obtained by Sudan Tribune, civil rights activists, as well as members of union groups representing youth, traders, women, farmers and teachers, issued UNISFA with a 24-hour ultimatum to remove Sudanese UN personnel working in the area, claiming they were security agents.

“We are asking UNISFA to immediately send away the security agents who are camouflaging as UN personnel in Abyei. We know them one by one because some of them were here [before]. We know them and they know themselves very well that they are not ordinary citizens. They are security agents”, the protest letter dated 9 May reads in part.

The letter also calls on the UN mission, relief organisations and other agencies working in the area to stop hiring Sudanese nationals.

“We are asking UNISFA to stop hiring and hosting of employees from Sudan because we consider it as part of the Arab Misseriya settlement plan in [the] Dinka area. This is a plan by the government of Sudan”, the letter adds in part.

An referendum initially scheduled for January 2011 to decide the fate of the Abyei area failed to take place over disagreements between the two countries about who was eligible to participate in the vote.

In a bid to break the deadlock, the African Union (AU) last year, proposed that the plebiscite go ahead this October, but only for those permanently residing in the area. The decision effectively excludes the Misseriya nomads, who enter the area periodically during the year to graze their cattle, from participating, with the Southern-aligned Dinka Ngok expected to vote in favour of joining South Sudan.

(ST)

May 12, 2013 (JUBA) –The four states of the Greater Bahr el Ghazal region have called for their intellectuals and senior political leaders to report themselves to Wau, the former regional capital and current state capital of Western Bahr el Ghazal, to discuss challenges facing the region and the country.

States of the former Bhar el Ghazal region include Lakes, Warrap, Northern and Western Bahr el Ghazal.

The host governor, Risiq Zechariah Hassan, has travelled to Juba and briefed the President of the Republic, Salva Kiir Mayardit, who also hails from the region, on the ongoing preparations to hold the extraordinary conference.

In a statement broadcast on the state-owned South Sudan TV on Saturday, Hassan disclosed that the five-day conference will take place next Wednesday from 15th to 20th May 2013.

Hassan did not elaborate on the agenda of the conference, which will take place days after the Greater Equatoria region concluded its two-day regional conference in Juba on Thursday where they addressed national concerns, including the ongoing transformation and transition processes in the ruling party.

Officials told Sudan Tribune that the Bahr el Ghazal regional conference will cover issues to do with politics, security and economy of the country.

The unfolding approach on regional groupings are a concern, officials say, because they may create unconstitutional regional political blocs based on the defunct system of governance introduced in early 1980s, but abolished in early 1990s when the former Sudan was still one country.

Formerly South Sudan was divided into greater regions of Upper Nile, Equatoria and Bahr el Ghazal. It currently has a decentralized system with ten states and a national government as the highest authority.

GREATER EQUATORIA CALLS FOR FEDERAL SYSTEM OF GOVERNANCE

Meanwhile the Greater Equatoria region conference has passed a resolution demanding implementation of a federal system in the country.

The conference, attended by the three governors of Central, Eastern and Western Equatoria states as well as other senior political leaders, civil society organizations and youth groups, also called on the security organs to maintain security in the country.

They also called for a fair and peaceful politics in the ruling party, particularly that the upcoming national convention will confirm the current leaders or elect a new leader for the party.
The regional Equatorians conference also strongly appealed to the president, Salva Kiir, to extend his general amnesty to their son and former rebel, Peter Abdel Rahaman Sule.

Sule was former national minister in Juba and chairman of the United Democratic Front (UDF) party.

He rebelled against the government last year but his rebellion was nipped in the bud as security forces identified and destroyed his newly established base in Western Equatoria state. The clashes resulted to his capture in action while a number of soldiers and officers died on both sides.

He has been under the custody of the security organs in Juba, prompting the Greater Equatoria region conference to appeal for his release and benefit from the general amnesty declared by the president.

Last week, a group of about 3,000 rebels in Unity state responded to the presidential amnesty and declared their intention to rejoin the South Sudan army.

The rebels led by Maj. Gen. Bapiny Wijang, crossed from the neighbouring Sudan, where they got support and brought with them 100 military trucks, some mounted with heavy artilleries.

Maj. Gen. Bapiny Wijang is currently in Juba after arriving in the capital on Thursday.

Other rebel groups in Upper Nile state under the command of Maj. Gen. Uliny and in Jonglei state under the command of Maj. Gen. David Yau Yau, have not yet responded positively to the declared amnesty, although their names have appeared in the republican order together with their respective forces.

(ST)

May 12, 2013 (KHARTOUM) – Sudan's National Assembly speaker Ahmed Ibrahim Al-Tahir has issued a warning to the rebel Sudan Revolutionary Front (SRF) saying that its leaders will face death at the hands of the army so long as they are waging war against Khartoum.

Sudan's parliament speaker Ahmed Ibrahim Al-Tahir (center) - Reuters

The speaker's remarks came a day after the National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) announced that SRF's chief of staff Abdel Aziz Al-Hilu is alive despite previous assertions from a top lawmaker and other Sudanese officials that he was killed during the recent offensive in South Kordofan.

"If Abdel Aziz Al-Hilu was not killed today, he will be killed tomorrow and [SPLM-N Secretary General] Yasser Arman and [SPLM-N chairman] Malik Agar would face the same fate” al-Tahir said.

The speaker said that claims made by several government officials on killing of Al-Hilu were not completely without credibility explaining that Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) have identified and hit a convoy of vehicles which they thought Al-Hilu was in.

Mohamed al-Hassan al-Amin, the head of the parliamentary subcommittee on security and defense, made statements this week claiming that al-Hilu died after sustaining injuries and was buried in the city of Wau in South Sudan.

Al-Amin defended his statements saying that he was merely echoing news reported by the army and the NISS stressing that a rocket strike killed a number of SRF rebels and it was thought that al-Hilu was among them.

He further criticized NISS's statement dismissing news on al-Hilu's demise saying “It is not in the interest of the security apparatus to announce that Al-Hilu is alive even if he is so”.

Al-Amin also said the NISS should not have rushed to publicly accuse Juba of backing the rebels in its recent assault suggesting it was not a politically savvy move.

He referenced Gaddafi's support of Darfur rebels in the past which Khartoum was aware of but never spoke of it in public.

An editor with a Khartoum-based independent daily told Sudan Tribune that NISS barred them from publishing al-Amin's criticism.

Late last month, SRF rebels swept through the city of Um Rawaba in North Kordofan, before withdrawing later on the same day.

North Kordofan, which includes Um Rawaba and forms part of Sudan's commercial heartland, is a hub for the country's agriculture, livestock and gum Arabic industries.

SAF now has its eyes on reclaiming Abu-Kershola district in South Kordofan which was overrun by rebels during last month's assault.

Officials in Khartoum say that they have completely surrounded the area and pledged not to stop until they recapture Kauda which is the stronghold of the rebel Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) in South Kordofan.

(ST)

May 12, 2013 (KHARTOUM) – Sudan said today that rebels from the Sudan Revolutionary Front (SRF) will face "disastrous consequences" if they dared to launch an attack on the capital city of Khartoum.

Undated photo released by the SPLM-N showing commanders from the Sudan People Liberation Movement-North at an undisclosed location

“[They] won't be able to attack Khartoum, however, if they dared to do so, their fate would be much worse than Khalil [leader of Darfur Justice and Equality Movement]” the national parliament speaker Ahmed Ibrahim Al-Tahir said in a meeting with the media yesterday.

In 2008 Darfur rebels from the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) launched a surprise attack on Omdurman, on the West of the Nile from Sudan's capital Khartoum. It was repulsed but caused shockwaves throughout the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF).

Al-Tahir lambasted the opposition parties and described their stances regarding the SRF recent attack on Um Rawaba and Abu Kershola in north and south Kordofan states as “misty” and accused them of secretly sympathizing with the SRF with the hope that they can manage to overthrow the regime.

“The opposition parties want to topple the regime by all means, be it demonstrations, force, or the SRF”, he said.

The speaker also accused Israel and the United States of supporting the SRF to execute a plan which aims at destabilizing Sudan's western region and other parts of the country.

He urged the media outlets to support the army saying that SRF avoids direct confrontation and seeks instead to exhaust it by launching small military operations.

Al-Tahir further said that there must be no negotiations with Sudan People's Liberation Movement/North (SPLM-N), considering resumption of negotiations at present time a “defeat” for the army.

(ST)

By Esther Sprague

May 13, 2013 - The White House has invited Nafie Ali Nafie, the Advisor and Assistant of Sudan's ICC indicted President, to the United States for high level talks. Since Nafie's proposed visit was announced, reasons, such as the following, have surfaced almost daily to explain why the visit would be inappropriate and counterproductive.

He is a terrorist. Known as the architect of state sponsored terror in Sudan and an accomplice in the assassination attempt of Egypt's President Mubarak, Nafie has long relationships with rogue states and extremist groups. While it may take a terrorist to find a terrorist, former U.S. Special Envoy to Sudan, Richard Williamson, who had access to intelligence from Sudan, recently indicated that the information “isn't worth the spit on your shoe.” If the U.S. is seeking Mali extremists, Joseph Kony and others, surely more reliable and appropriate sources and allies are available. Working with the host government of terrorists and murderers (and a government that will orchestrate matters in order to appear “valuable”) is of dubious benefit.

Nafie's visit would violate President Obama's August 4, 2011 Proclamation suspending entry into the United States to anyone who “planned, ordered, assisted, aided and abetted, committed or otherwise participated in, including through command responsibility, war crimes, crimes against humanity or other serious violations of human rights, or who attempted or conspired to do so.” According to the Office of the Prosecutor's application for the first ICC arrest warrant for Bashir for crimes against humanity and war crimes in Darfur, “Many senior members of Al Bashir's Government participated in recruiting and mobilizing Militia/Janjaweed – including…Presidential Assistant and NCP Vice President Nafie Ali Nafie.”

Nafie is powerless to stop the war in Sudan. Nafie signed the June 28, 2011 agreement between the Sudan government and the SPLM-N that was immediately rejected by President Bashir. Furthermore, Nafie's proposed traveling companion, Ibrahim Ghandor, could only deliver the empty non-starter message to the SPLM-N (give up your weapons for positions in the government), which quickly ended recent and failed negotiations in Addis. In addition, it is misguided to think the U.S. could influence the development of Sudan's constitution with a regime that refuses to abide by its existing constitution and bill of rights and is currently mobilizing forces, under Nafie's direction, to eradicate Sudanese who have expressed a genuine interest in an inclusive constitutional review process.

Advancing Nafie's career and thereby prolonging the NCP's deadly decades-long grip on Sudan helps no one. As a transition in Sudan is inevitable, Nafie has been making his way around Europe and now possibly the U.S., in an effort to establish his place as Bashir's successor. Within the NCP's leadership, there are no good replacements for Bashir, but Nafie is considered by most as the worst possible option. The only appropriate place for Nafie to visit (and stay) is The Hague.

Nafie violates our principles and he hurts our friends. Through relationships with the Lost Boys and Girls of Sudan and thousands of refugees and asylum seekers, Americans have grown to love the people of Sudan and South Sudan. It offends us deeply that someone who purposely planned their destruction would be allowed to follow them to their place of safety. It also concerns us that America's reputation for upholding human rights will be forever tarnished because of one President's decision to host the “Butcher of Sudan.”

The Administration's invitation to Nafie is the latest example of a weak and perhaps non-existent U.S. policy on Sudan and South Sudan. If the U.S. is truly interested in building peace in Sudan and between Sudan and South Sudan, instead of inviting a should-be-indicted war criminal to the U.S., the Administration should read and implement the Sudan Peace, Security and Accountability Act of 2013. This legislation was written by Members of Congress who have been in place long enough to observe and understand the nature and tactics of the regime and therefore are in a position to craft policy recommendations that will actually save lives, support Sudanese-led change, and ultimately protect U.S. interests.

It would serve President Obama (and his Cabinet and Staff) well to remember his own words from the August 4, 2011 Proclamation:

“Universal respect for human rights and humanitarian law and the prevention of atrocities internationally promotes U.S. values and fundamental U.S. interests in helping secure peace, deter aggression, promote the rule of law, combat crime and corruption, strengthen democracies, and prevent humanitarian crises around the globe.”

President Obama recently urged Ohio State graduates not to become “discouraged and cynical” about our government. I'm asking President Obama to give me a reason to feel differently by listening to thousands of Americans who have protested Nafie's visit and by rescinding Nafie's invitation to the United States.

Esther Sprague is a co-founder of Act for Sudan and the founder and director of Sudan Unlimited, a non-profit that seeks to support all Sudanese and Southern Sudanese in their efforts to secure and enjoy freedom, justice, equality, democracy, peace and prosperity.

By Deng Vanang

May 13, 2013 - Until death do us part, seem to be the rapturous echoes ripping through the throbbing heart of bewildered Ngok Dinka citizens in Abyei. The disputed territory is aging as it is well over its centenary year in self-imposed exile. It is to be recalled the tiny but much priced territory straddled into the fault lines dangerously lying between North and South of two Sudans back in 1905.

The patriarch also known as paramount chief Kuol Deng Majok thought of rare benefits to bring within the grips of his Abyei off springs both sons and daughters when he decided rather opportunistically to kiss goodbye to the South, then considered Sudan's back water of anything thought credible. The perceived benefits to grasp were modern education and Arabs civilization with which North was enviously associated.

Not to forget, one more additional benefit whether subconsciously perceived of or not was conversion to Islam that as well accrued a few more bountiful goodies for people derogatorily regarded as infidels willing to cross over to the dubbed last Prophet's holy land. All these coveted gains turned regrettable poisoned chalice one hundred years later. With Abyei striking it rich in oil wealth and South Sudanese clamoring for the independence, then began Abyei present day perpetual woes of an intractable pogrom.

The Abyei Dinka as truly South Sudanese in all social characteristics of ethnic origin, jet black skin complexion and Nilotic culture turned out to be the tug pulled in between beyond an elastic limit by both sides of political divide. Consequently, that strange twist and turn has attracted a legion of countless regional and international peace keeping interventions all under one leaking roof of the UN, collectively referred to as UNISFA.

And from which arises the present day stalemate or be it sheer miscalculation of sorts that makes it difficult for one rival side to take Abyei over either through brute force or shrewd diplomacy. Nor is there possibility of a peaceful referendum insight as stipulated in an already defunct Comprehensive Peace Agreement, CPA that is now regarded as never comprehensive by still suffering peoples of Abyei, Blue Nile and Nuba Mountains. For so many timelines on that matter mysteriously as indefinitely come and go under protracted non-substantial arguments predicated on ownership rights.

While the tenancy over who should be given the keys turn bloodiest, the victims ironically happen to be the rightful owners but self-acclaimed civilized Ngok Dinka at the hands of hired goons – the Miseriya settlers on the suspected pay list of the bloody game spectators in far flung Khartoum. Fleeing in the face of genocidal Miseriya tribal raids followed by Sudan Armed forces mopping up operations, Abyei Ngok Dinka have a fairer share in their perennial predicament too.

Their treacherous over reliance on external muscles while partly eating with those they call enemy are the conjoined debacles they have to clear on their tortuous journey to freedom. No amount of proxy wars waged by murk-racking press, local mercenaries paid from South Sudan increasingly shrinking public coffer and neither are international mercenaries under the UN financial benevolence shall win over Abyei to their side on silver platter. This brings forth pertinent questions for them to answer.

How many times their paramount chiefs have to be slaughtered like chickens in that abattoir called Abyei under their hapless watch, how longer is the time for patience or veiled cowardice to pay and how many more cheeks remaining for them they the nine Ngok Dinka chiefdoms in Abyei to turn for unremorseful slapping? Eight years are long enough even for the faith-based patience or rather disguised cowardice to wither as there are only two cheeks a normal human being has to give away in self-inflicted indignity and concocted helplessness.

Despite all indications that point to the grim reality that future - as bleak as it is - of Abyei will not be decided at the ballot box. Since the conflict has hitherto defied well crafted amicable solutions that came far and between such as that of Abyei Boundary Commission, ABC, The Hague based - International Court of Arbitration and now the on-going shuttle diplomacy to determine Abyei troubled future which all have ground to a halt if not come to nothing.

With one more saddest and time wasting thing at stake typical Nilotic ethnic groups lack but Abyei Ngok Dinka strangely have; being the false modesty under which they have recoiled hoping for never coming one day when the territory shall peacefully return home - South Sudan - to roost.

Deng Vanang is a journalist and the author of the upcoming book: "South Sudan Contested Legacies" and executive member of South Sudan's leading opposition, the Sudan Peoples' Liberation Movement for Democratic Change - SPLM-DC. This opinion piece is the authors alone and is the official position of SPLM-DC on the Abyei. He can be reached at: dvanang@yahoo.com

South Sudan Law Society

13th-April-2013

Citizen of Western Bhar el-Ghazal State calls for limitations of President Powers and the Independence of Executive, Legislature and Judiciary and transparency in the making process of the permanent Constitution of South Sudan

South Sudan Law society in partnership with Justice Africa and the Civil Society Resource Team on the Constitution with the support from Danish Government are conducting a three day dialogue on the constitution and the constitution review process in Western B State. The dialogue brought together participants from all three counties in the State and each County has come with at least 18 members from different categories. The dialogue commenced on Monday 13th and will come to an end on 15th of May 2013 at the University of Bahr el Ghazal in Wau.

The Wau Dialogue is part of the on-going CSO constitution process whose main objectives are;

• To enhance the participation of the citizens of South Sudan in the constitution making process
• To promote civic education and the sharing of information on the constitution
• To enable a coordinated effort of lobbying and advocacy for a people driven constitution
• To prepare citizen's at state level for the National Constitution Review

Commission's consultations

The project is premised on the conviction that the process of constitution making is equally as important as the final substance and it is therefore necessary that the people are included in this process. The dialogues are facilitated by members of the Civil Society Resource Team on the Constitution.

The attendance of the Wau dialogue was 150 participants, drawn from the following categories of society;

• Community leaders especially Paramount Chiefs
• Parliamentarians
• Religious Leaders
• Women groups
• Youth
• Local authorities
• Academics,
• NGOs and CBOs
• Police
• Prisoners
• And political parties

Methodology and facilitation

• The principles of good governance and democracy was outlined and an overview of the content of the Transitional Constitution given.
• Participants were given an opportunity to put forth what they believe should be incorporated in the Transitional Constitution.
• The views of the participants will be recorded and will be subsequently submitted to the National Constitution Review Commission for possible inclusion in the permanent constitution.
• The facilitators have been trained to role playing, small group problem solving, simulations etc. Lecture-based civic education was minimal.
• The programme acknowledges the fact that participatory methods are more effective in informal learning processes

Main Discussion Issues were;

• An outline and analysis of the key features of the transitional constitution
• The Constitution as a Power Map - with analysis of the power dynamics and power balance between three arms of the government.
• The set-up , role and responsibility of the local government, councils and state governments with a keen analyses of federal and Unitary Political structures
• Parliamentary and Presidential political systems
• Human rights and citizens obligations with an emphasis on the rights of minority groups such as women, youth and people with disabilities
• Limitation of powers , Checks and balances and Resource Management among others

By Zechariah Manyok Biar

May 13, 2013 - The capture of Boma town in Pibor County by the rebels led by David Yau Yau has raised questions. Some people wonder if Yau Yau would move to other areas, both inside and outside Pibor County, or not. Others wonder whether Yau Yau's rebellion is going to increase to a major civil war or not.

People like those who are in the Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs) that are now talking of pulling out from Eastern Equatoria areas like Kapoeta believe that Yau Yau will capture towns from other counties. The same people would think the rebellion would increase and become a major civil war. Other people like me think it is unlikely that Yau Yau will capture towns from other counties. Even if he does, he cannot maintain them the way he could do for towns inside Pibor County.

First, let us look into Yau Yau's ability to capture towns before looking into his ability to increase his rebellion.

Yau Yau has shown that he can capture towns because he has captured Boma. The capture of Boma has a symbolic meaning because when the Sudan Peoples' Liberation Army (SPLA) started its capturing of towns across the country in the 1980s, it started with Boma. So, the message of Boma's capture by Yau Yau seems to say that Yau Yau has started his rebellion like the SPLA did in the 1980s. Now he is threatening Kapoeta like the SPLA once did.

However, the difference is that Boma was captured by mixed forces that were mainly dominated by people from Bor's current three counties of Bor, Twic East, and Duk. There were members of other communities in those forces too. Unlike those who captured Boma under the SPLA, now those who captured Boma under Yau Yau are mainly from Murle tribe capturing their own town.

Since Yau Yau's rebellion is area based, he will have difficult time moving to other areas because of the way the rebellion is perceived. If Yau Yau and his army move to Kapoeta area, the Taposas will think that the Murle are coming to Kapoeta area in order to raid cattle. So, the resistance will mainly be done by the civilians. The same thing can happen in Bor and Nuer areas. Therefore, Yau Yau could capture towns within Pibor County, including Pibor itself, but he will have hard time moving to other counties.

Yet, one could argue that if Yau Yau was able to mobilize enough forces to capture Boma, then he has the capacity to mobilize huge rebel army and force his way to areas that understand his rebellion now as Murle issue in Jonglei. I doubt this belief too. My doubt is based on two reasons.

The first reason is the understanding that the followers of Yau Yau have. The Murle youths who have now joined Yau Yau joined him because they are against disarmament. Murle have been keeping their arms for decades and as a result, they cannot imagine a life without their guns. When the disarmament started in Pibor County last year, for example, these Yau Yau followers ran into Ethiopia to save their guns. Yau Yau then came in and told them that they were going to make sure that the SPLA was out of the County for disarmament to stop. That is mainly the reason why they are fighting. They can capture many towns in Pibor County for this reason.

But telling the same youths to go and capture Kapoeta would be very strange to them, unless they are told that they are moving their to raid cattle. If raiding of cattle is the motivator to them, then maintaining of towns outside Pibor County will not be their business.

One would still argue that the SPLA started in the same way. Most of the people who joined the SPLA joined it for different reasons. For example, some joined to get guns and defend their cattle from Murle raiders. Others joined to get guns and defend their areas from the Arab nomads who disturb people in Bahr el Ghazal. If it worked for the SPLA that time, why could it not work for Yau Yau now? This takes us to my second reason for doubting the increase of Yau Yau's rebellion.

Those who initially joined the SPLM/A for misplaced reasons were given better reasons that they agreed with. They were told that the real threat was the marginalization of Southerners by the Arab dominated government in Khartoum. There were many leading members in the Movement who clearly understood and believed in those reasons. Those leading people were from different communities, including communities from the North. The reasons were beyond individual dissatisfaction.

Yau Yau would give the reason why he is angry, especially to those who form his army. He could give them reasons that include the marginalization of Murle because they have no roads in the County. That could be easy there. But could he extend the same argument to other people who understand that he rebelled because he lost elections in 2010? Many will not. So what he would do is to tell the truth as it is in other areas.

The truth that Yau Yau would tell people in other areas is that a nation were election cheating is allowed is unjust and, therefore, he is fighting to restore election justice. But then what if the people he is talking to know the story very well, would they agree? Of course, they will not.

But Yau Yau could target those who will agree. The way he could do this is to connect his personal grievances to a major national agenda. However, there are many people who do not care about who loses or wins in elections. Their main concern is to have good life. Their questions would include how Yau Yau's election grievance would bring good life to people in other counties who might not have the same problem in their elections. Will Yau Yau manage to explain this to many educated people who would make his rebellion a potential future government? I doubt.

If Yau Yau will not convince educated people who are capable of disconnecting his intention of fighting from cattle raiding intention, then how is he going to convince uneducated majority who perceive his rebels as bunch of cattle raiders? It is hard.

Yau Yau's current followers will lose interest too if their main goal is to protect their guns from disbarment so that they can continue raiding other people's cattle. First, the perception of Murle cattle raiders has been changed by Yau Yau's rebellion. The raiders of cattle are now associated with Yau Yau's rebellion. This will give the SPLA all the right to fight them as rebels, not civilians. The human right groups who could have different ways of understanding if the raiders were civilians will say nothing if the raiders are dealt with as armed rebels. This is going to affect the effectiveness of cattle raiding since there will be very few successes in raiding cattle and keeping them.

Second, the hunger is going to increase in Murle area if people will not cultivate in addition to having few successes in raiding other people's cattle. Guns that they now want to keep will be of no use to them. That will make them lose interest in the rebellion and look for other ways of survival.

All in all, I do not see Yau Yau's success outside Pibor County. He will capture some other towns within Pibor during this rainy season, but I doubt how he would maintain them in the coming dry season. SPLA soldiers who deserted towns like Boma recently were afraid of being cut off from the main suppliers since roads to Murle areas are soon going to be inaccessible. The same fear will not be there in the coming dry season. Adding this to my argument above will tell you that Yau Yau's rebellion will be very limited.

Zechariah Manyok Biar can be reached at manyok34@gmail.com

May 13, 2013 (BOR) - Armed men were reported to have looted civilians properties and humanitarians compounds of INTERSOS and Medicine Sans Frontiers [MSF] in Pibor over the weekend.

Jonglei local government minister, Diing Akol Diing, speaking to the press in Bor, May 11, 2013 (ST)

Speaking to press in Bor, the acting governor of Jonglei, Diing Akol Diing, confirmed the looting to have carried out by suspected armed elements of either police or prison service in Pibor.

“You know what happen in Pibor is that there was a rumor circulating among the civil population in Pibor town that Yau Yau is going to attack Pibor and that created serious fear in town and civilians left the town”, he said.

“With that some few elements from the organized forces, police, prison services, they are the people whom we suspect, they are the ones who broke into the MSF compound and INTERSOS”.

According to Diing, the investigation is now on in Pibor town by the commissioner and SPLA commander of division eight to establish the looters.

“We are still investigating that, with the county commissioner, brigadier Joshua Konyi, in Pibor and Division 8 commander of what happened”, said Diing.

In a press release by United Nations officer of South Sudan Humanitarian coordinator, Dr. Yasmin Haque condemned the looting, calling on the government to bring the suspects to justice.

“I condemn the looting of civilian property and humanitarian supplies. I call on the authorities to move swiftly and hold those responsible to account. These types of attacks against humanitarian facilities make it harder to provide life-saving assistance to people affected by hostilities in Jonglei”, he said.

"I am alarmed by reports that, once again, the civilian population of Jonglei State's Pibor town have fled for their safety in large numbers. I am also gravely concerned about the widespread looting of civilian property and humanitarian supplies witnessed by aid workers over recent days.

Aid organizations have seen armed, uniformed personnel taking apart homes and breaking into small shops where those who have fled the town have placed their belongings for safekeeping.

Food and household items, including nutritional supplements for malnourished children, were stolen from humanitarian common storage facilities, just a few hundred meters away from the town's military barracks and county commissioner's offices. We have been told by some of our NGO colleagues that their compounds were completely looted, and that everything inside - even fixtures like solar panels – have been taken.

Aid organizations have already been forced to relocate all of their staff from Boma due to insecurity, and only a handful of aid workers now remain in Pibor. The humanitarian community stands ready to provide neutral and impartial assistance to all civilians in need.

This can only happen if all parties respect and facilitate humanitarian activities, in line with their obligations under national and international law.

(ST)

May 13, 2013 (JUBA) – Disgraced former International Monetary Fund (IMF) chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn arrived in South Sudan on Monday to open a new bank, marking a rare return to the financial world since his career was derailed by a lurid sex scandal two years ago.

Former IMF chief Dominic Strauss-Kahn (R) arrives at Juba International Airport, on May, 13 2013. (Photo Waakhe Wudu/AFP)

Speaking to reporters at the start of his two-day visit, Strauss-Kahn said he planned to open the National Credit Bank (NCB), as well as explore investment opportunities in the new nation.

Few details have been made public about the NCB bank, although AFP quoted officials as saying the Swiss-backed private venture was being launched in cooperation with South Sudanese partners.

Straus-Kahn was greeted by South Sudan's minister of commerce, Garang Diing, following his arrival in Juba.

“This visit is very important to us … especially in relation to investment attraction to South Sudan,” Diing told AFP.

“He (Straus-Kahn) wants to see how South Sudan is prospering in terms of peace, stability, democracy and economic performance,” he added.

The one-time French presidential hopeful and former IMF boss suffered a spectacular downfall after a New York hotel maid accused him of sexual assault in May 2011.

Strauss-Kahn, who has always insisted his sexual relations with the maid were consensual, was forced to resign his post in the wake of the scandal; in which allegations surfaced he was also criminally involved in a France-based prostitution ring.

In August 2011, prosecutors dropped all criminal charges, saying that the alleged victim, Nafissatou Diallo, was not a credible witness.

Strauss-Kahn quickly returned to France and later settled a civil suit filed by Diallo for an undisclosed sum.

In an extensive interview with France's weekly Le Point magazine last October, Strauss-Kahn, who now works as a freelance financial consultant, said he was “looking at getting involved in big international projects”.

Although rich in natural resources, South Sudan remains grossly under-developed since splitting from the north in July 2011, with vast sections of the population still living beneath the poverty line.

The country's economy suffered a spectacular crash in 2012 after the government shut down oil production, following a dispute with Sudan over transit fees to pump its oil to export markets in the north via Sudanese pipelines.

Prior to the shutdown, oil revenues, totalling about $400 million per month, had represented 82 percent of South Sudan's gross domestic product and 98 percent of government revenues.

The loss of its oil revenues sparked a dramatic economic collapse, with South Sudan's GDP shrinking by 55 percent in 2012, according to IMF estimates.

The South Sudanese economy has also been plagued by high inflation, driven mostly by increases in food prices – a trend which the World Bank says is the result of limited local food production and a high reliance on imported foods, in combination with depreciation of the South Sudanese pound (SSP) and border closures with the north.

Although oil production resumed in January after both countries reached an agreement ending the 15-month-long row, economic development in South Sudan remains ham-strung by tribal violence, large-scale displacement, ethnic conflict and hunger which continues to plague large sections of the country, following a decades-long civil war with neighbouring Sudan.

(ST)