Day: August 28, 2021

Nigeria’s former President Olusegun Obasanjo has been appointed as a special envoy of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission for the Horn of Africa region.

“(…) Moussa Faki Mahamat, is pleased to announce the appointment of H.E. Olusegun Obasanjo, former President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as his High Representative for the Horn of Africa region,” said the African Union Commission on Thursday.

Obasanjo’s appointment comes in line with the African Union’s efforts to promote peace and stability in the Horn of Africa.

“The High Representative will intensify engagements with all relevant political actors and stakeholders in the region towards entrenching durable peace and stability within the Horn of Africa,” stressed the statement.

The African Union has been criticized for the lack of initiative in the resolution of the civil war in the Tigray region or the border dispute between Sudan and Ethiopia.

Also, the regional body had a timid approach in the dispute over the filling and operation of the GERD dam despite the general agreement on the African Union-led mediation.

The former Nigerian president was involved in the first mediation to end the Darfur conflict.

Also, as a member of the UN High-Level Advisory Board on Mediation, he has actively remained involved in the resolution of regional conflicts

Source: Sudan Tribune

Sudan’s Transition Partners Council renewed its commitment to expedite the appointment of governors and the Transitional Legislative Council.

Building of the Sudanese parliament in Omdurman On Thursday, the council, which includes the Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC) and the military component, held a consultative meeting headed by Abdel-Fattah al-Burhan, head of the Sovereignty Council, to discuss a number of national issues.

After the meeting, Maryam al-Mahdi Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Council Spokeswoman stated that the meeting reviewed a number of issues, including the appointment of governors and the formation of the Transitional Legislative Council.

“The Council agreed on the importance of expediting the appointment of governors and the Legislative Council,” al-Mahdi said.

She added that the meeting stressed the need for the Council to continue holding its meetings on a regular basis to address pressing national issues.

The FFC which now includes the political forces and armed groups had previously agreed to appoint rulers and form a transitional parliament before the end of this August.

However, disputes over representation rates in the Legislative Council are still obstructing its establishment, two years after the formation of the transitional government.

A number of political leaders confessed to the Sudan Tribune that there is a fear that the formation of a parliament composed of divergent forces will paralyze the implementation of the transitional agenda.

But they underline that the formation of the Council and the agreement on a unified platform are crucial for the completion of the transition and general elections.

Further, they stress that in April 2022 the Sovereign Council should be chaired by a civilian in accordance with the amended constitutional document.

With regard to the appointment of state governors, differences between the forces of freedom and change in some states still prevent the nomination of candidates for the position of governor.

On the other hand, on Thursday, Mohamed Al-Hassan Eltaishi, a member of the Sovereign Council, chaired a separate meeting of the Darfur Agreement Implementation Committee, during which it was agreed to form a joint committee to divide power in Darfur.

Source: Sudan Tribune

A former presidential adviser has Friday dismissed reports linking him to a coalition of civil society groups planning for mass protest next week in South Sudan.

Former presidential adviser Daniel Akot raising South Sudan’s flag when he was the Lakes State Governor (ST file photo)Daniel Awet Akot, a former adviser to President Salva Kiir on military affairs and a senior member of the ruling Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) told the Sudan Tribune on Friday none of the leaders of the coalition of the civil society groups had contacted him.

“I do not know their leaders. I don’t know who they are, and I am not interested in things that will cause division and violence. We have had enough, and it is time for people to allow the government to implement the revitalized peace agreement,” Akot further said.

The People’s Coalition for Civil Action, the United Citizens for Change, the Red Card Movement, and the National People’s Movement have called for a nationwide protest scheduled on Monday 30 August 2021.

The planned demonstrations, which call for President Kiir and his First Deputy Machar to step down, continue to cause divisions among the South Sudanese.

Former speaker of defunct Maiwut State also joined calls against the protests, saying that a social revolution through popular uprising requires an environment conducive for such activities.

Chuol Dep wondered how leaders who call for the protests are not in the country or in hidden places.

“Calling people to come out on the streets of Juba and other towns in South Sudan without opposition leaders is real deception of lives of the people to commit suicide as the nature of the call is a regime change,” explained Dep.

Instead of protests, he called to join hands for a successful implementation of the peace agreement to bring our country back to normal where our citizens will exercise their constitutional rights in a peaceful environment.

“Don’t call the people to spoil the peace. Don’t call people to protest the government in an environment where hearing guns is daily news,” he stressed.

Source: Sudan Tribune