Day: September 23, 2021

The U.N. Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan warned that the country is suffering a human rights crisis of epic proportions, enmeshing its population in a cycle of violence, abuse and poverty. The report was submitted to the U.N. Human Rights Council on Thursday.

According to the report, nine of the 10 states in South Sudan are engulfed in what the U.N. Commission calls alarming levels of conflict 10 years after independence was declared and despite multiple peace treaties signed to end the civil war that erupted in 2013.

Commission Chair Yasmin Sooka said violence in Warran and Lakes states is of particular concern.

“In March and July, the governors of Warran state and Lakes state ordered the summary execution of more than 56 individuals including minors,” Sooka said. “These extrajudicial killings orchestrated by governors from the ruling party are sufficiently similar, widespread and systematic and may constitute crimes against humanity.”

The report documents the prevalence of enforced disappearances, torture, rape, and conflict-related sexual violence and the forced recruitment of child soldiers throughout the country.

It finds widespread lawlessness and violence have intensified, resulting in many deaths and the forcible displacement of millions of people.

A separate commission report dealing with economic crimes accuses South Sudanese political elites of illicitly diverting millions of dollars from public coffers into private bank accounts.

Commission member Andrew Clapham said these practices are undermining human rights, endangering security, and keeping 80% of the population living in extreme poverty.

“We have sought to clarify that the government of South Sudan has responsibility for violations of the right to health and the right to education, and the failure to provide adequate resources to fulfill these rights is related to the misappropriation of the revenue, which ought to be deposited in bank accounts of the state and then used to provide for education and health,” Clapham said.

The South Sudanese minister of justice and constitutional affairs, R.M.A. Kachuoli, rebutted the report, saying he does not agree with the commission’s view of his country.

Kachuoli said the security situation across South Sudan is relatively calm and peaceful. He said the government is dealing with ethnic conflict through dialogue and the use of traditional courts. He calls a peace agreement reached in 2018 a significant milestone toward achieving peace in his country.

He said his government deems the report on economic crimes and corruption exaggerated, and questions whether the three-member panel even has a mandate to look at this issue.

Source: Voice Of America

Sudanese military and the ruling coalition of the Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC) on Wednesday traded blame for the slow pace of reforms and difficulties facing the transitional after the failure of a coup d’etat by Islamist officers in the army.

Several members of the civilian government including Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok called on the military component to sack the Islamists from the military and security sectors and to implement the reforms agreed in the Constitutional Document governing the transition.

For his part, the head of the military component and Sovereign Council Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his deputy Mohamed Haamdan Dagalo aka “Hemetti” on Wednesday rejected the FFC request saying the armed forces did everything possible to ensure the success of the democratic transition but the civilians continue to blame the army.

Speaking in a military graduation ceremony, al-Burhan, who was showing anger, directed harsh criticism to the ruling coalition, pointing they want to work with serious patriotic forces that believe in the slogans of the revolution and the goals of the democratic transition.

“The (FFC parties) are only interested in positions and fighting for it. There is no political party that went to the citizens to address their problems, “he said adding that the attempt occurred “because they spend their time to argue and criticize the regular forces.”

Already on Tuesday, al-Burhan rejected any criticism saying that the military is the guardians of the country and they are the ones who had foiled the coup.

For his part, Hemetti accused the ruling parties of giving the opportunity for the repeated coups because they failed to address the concern of the people.

“The reason is the politicians who gave the opportunity for coups because they neglected the citizen, his livelihood, and basic services. They were occupied with fighting over seats and the sharing of positions, which created a state of dissatisfaction among the citizens,” he further stressed.

The ongoing cacophony between the civilian and military components recalls the strife between the Transitional Military Council and the FFC forces over the next step after al-Bashir’s collapse and who has the right to rule the country after four months of protests.

The remarks of the military leaders triggered many reactions from the political leaders and government officials who dismissed the escalation saying the military component is also to blame for the failure if there is some.

Khalid Omer Youssif, Cabinet Affairs Minister described al-Burhan statement about the guardianship of the military over the transition as a “direct threat to the transitional period”.

He stressed that any setback or violation of the transitional Constitutional Document will be faced by the Sudanese street.

Speaking to Al-Jazeera TV, he pointed out that the civilians when they demand to reform the security sector and pure the army from the Islamists they do not mean to attack the national army.

“On 6 April 2019, the civilian protesters went to the army headquarters in Khartoum calling on the military to back their movement and sever ties with the former regime,” he added.

He went further to say that the military component has two choices: to implement the constitutional document or to confront the Sudanese people.

The Prime Minister, for his part, rejected statements by al-Burhan that the civilians seek to exclude them. He reaffirmed he discussed his initiative “The Way Forward” with al-Burhan and Hemetti.

“Our purpose was and still is to broaden the base of the transition and ensure a smooth transition to a sustainable democratic situation”.

“Any detraction from the requirements of the transition be at a heavy cost not only at the political level but also at the security and legal levels,” he stressed.

In the same vein, an FFC leading member and spokesman of the Unionist Alliance reiterated that the coup was the result of the failure to reform the military institutions and maintaining the “remnants of the former regime among the military and security forces and other institutions”.

Jaafar Hassan minimized al-Burhan statement that the attempt was foiled by the military saying it was normal because they control the military intelligence.

Source: Sudan Tribune