Day: September 1, 2021

One student was killed and 11 others wounded on Tuesday after police fired bullets to disperse protesters at the headquarters of the State Government and the University of Zalingei.

A group of university students organized a protest outside the University of Zalingei calling to develop student housing.

The police opened fire to disperse the protesters when they entered the university, eight students were wounded three of them are in critical condition.

To protest the use of bullets by the security forces at the university, the students went to the Central Darfur State Government buildings where the police opened fire again on the protesters killing one student and injured three others.

In a statement to the official news agency SUNA, Adeeb Abdel Rahman Youssif, the Governor of Central Darfur State, accused unnamed parties of “taking advantage of student demands to spread chaos and violence in the city”.

He further announced that the State Security Committee had decided to impose a state of emergency and a curfew in the city.

The protesters attacked the government building inside the secretariat of the government of Central Darfur state and destroyed some vehicles.

A student group linked to the holdout Sudan Liberation Movement led by Abdel Wahid al-Nur (SLM-AW) was accused by local officials of inciting and orchestrating the protest.

In a statement released on Tuesday, Musa Adam Ismail, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Zalingei condemned the use of fire against the protesters and called to investigate the incident and to bring the perpetrators to justice.

Also, the SLM-AW issued a statement to condemn the murder of the student and pointed an accusing finger to the security forces and the state security committee saying their bear the responsibility for the attack.

Source: Sudan Tribune

Uganda and South Sudan have agreed to patrol the Nimule-Juba highway where drivers and travellers have been attacked in the recent past.

The agreement follows the killing of travellers, including two Catholic nuns, by unknown militia on the road.

Uganda’s First Deputy Prime Minister Rebecca Kadaga tweeted on Monday that there would be police check points every 10km along the usually busy highway.

“Uganda has expressed its concerns at the continued assault, attacks and killings of Ugandan travellers on the Juba-Nimule sector. Agreement has been reached with South Sudan government to establish security patrols at every 10 kilometres mark protected by convoy escorts,” she wrote.

Kadaga said chiefs of staffs from the two countries would hold a joint meeting next week.

“I have also drawn the attention of my counterparts to the common breach of the Common Market Protocal by South Sudan Govt,” she added.

Last week, cross-border drivers from East African countries went on strike protesting against insecurity.

About 1,000 lorries from across East Africa have stopped at the main crossing point along the Nimule-Juba highway.

At least 30 traders and lorry drivers from across East Africa have been killed this year on the road.

Landlocked South Sudan heavily depends on its neighbours for essential supplies.

Source: Sudan Tribune

South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir has halted his government’s participation in the Rome talks with the South Sudanese Opposition Movement Alliance (SSOMA), dashing any prospects for peace in a country ruined by civil wars and rampant corruption.

“We have decided to pause the ongoing Sant’Egidio led Rome Peace initiative. Our pursuit of an inclusive peace should never be taken for weakness and used as a window to kill the innocent”, he said at the inauguration of the first session of parliament on Monday.

Kiir specifically singled out the National Salvation Front (NAS) headed by General Thomas Cirilo Swaka and set conditions for his government’s resumption of the talks.

He held the hold-out group responsible for attacks on the Juba-Nimule highway on August 16, 2021 in which scores of people, including two catholic nuns, were killed.

None of the groups, however, claimed responsibility for the recent attacks.

“Talks with SSOMA will only resume after they cease killing the innocent people and show their commitment to documents they have signed in Rome. It is only when they meet these conditions that genuine dialogue will resume,” said Kiir.

The South Sudanese leader wondered why NAS continues to target civilians along the main roads, despite their commitment to the cessation of hostilities agreement.

“We have signed with Rome Declaration and Rome Resolutions with SSOMA and the re-commitment to Cessation of Hostilities in December 2017 and Declaration of Principles. The goal of signing these documents was to stop fighting and save innocent lives. These were our commitment to inclusivity”, he told legislators.

Kiir said documents signed by the group suspected to have carried out the attack with the government were also part of confidence-building aimed at achieving lasting peace in the country.

“Now that SSOMA is specifically the National Salvation Front elements continue to violate this commitment,” he stressed.

Government signed a peace deal with NAS and other holdout opposition groups in January 2020.

Source: Sudan Tribune

The head of the Sovereign Council and European Union diplomats to Khartoum Tuesday discussed the security situation in Darfur and the border dispute with Ethiopia.

European diplomats in Sudan from France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Romania, Spain, Sweden and the European Union met on Tuesday with Abdel Fattah al-Burhan to discuss the ongoing democratic transition in the country.

Following the meeting, the Head of the EU Delegation in Sudan Robert van den Dool told reporters that they had a “friendly and constructive” discussion on the transition including Hamdok’s initiative and reiterated their call to form the transitional parliament.

“We also discussed the security situation in the country, the progress in the implementation of the security arrangements stipulated by the Juba Peace Agreement and the efforts by the government to maintain order, strengthen security, impose rule of law and combat crime,” Dool further said.

He said they underlined the need to protect displaced people and enforce the National Plan for the Protection of Civilians, pointing it was crucial for peacebuilding in the Darfur region.

The government has delayed the implementation of security measures in Darfur as uncontrolled combatants of former rebel groups participated in intercommunal clashes and some others are accused of robberies.

Also, the lack of funding prevents the launch of the implementation of measures aiming to compensate the displaced people or rehabilitating their areas of origin for their return.

In a letter to the UN Secretary-General in September 2019, Sudanese Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok requested that his country be declared eligible for the UN Peacebuilding Fund.

Hamdok asked that the funding be allocated to support his government plans for security, durable solutions, and peacebuilding at the community level in Darfur.

The EU representative In Sudan said that the meeting discussed the situation in eastern Sudan, in Ethiopia and South Sudan.

“Sudan’s strategic location is key to the stability of the region and we believe that any military escalation will negatively reflect on the peace, security and progress in the countries of the region,” Dool said.

The EU diplomats also expressed their commitment to support the transitional process and back the government’s efforts to rebuild the Sudanese economy.

“We confirmed to his Excellency that the European Union will continue to support Sudan’s transition to a civilian-led democratic government,” he said.

Source: Sudan Tribune

The Chief of Staff of the Sudanese Armed Forces is visiting Doha for talks on military cooperation with Qatar, said the Sudanese Military Media on Tuesday.

Lt-Gen Mohamed Osman al-Hussein held a meeting with Lt-Gen Ghanim bin Shaheen Al-Ghanim, Chief of Staff of the Qatar Armed Forces, said the military media.

“The meeting touched on ways to strengthen relations between the two brotherly armies,” reads the statement.

Osman who arrived on Monday is expected to meet other military officials.

The two armies conducted joint military exercises in December 2019 in Arkweit of the Red Sea State.

In November 2014, the two countries signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on military cooperation between them in various fields.

Source: Sudan Tribune