Day: November 3, 2021

The paramount chief of Central Equatoria Yei River County says plans are underway for community leaders to kick start grass-root peace dialogue programs in a bid to promote peaceful co-existence among local communities in the area.

Last Friday, the peace committee headed by the commissioner of Yei River County met and briefed the Central Equatoria State governor Emmanuel Adil on the committees’ preparedness to start the peace process this month.

Joseph Brown, who is also the chairperson of the peace and reconciliation committee, told Radio Tamazuj on Monday that the community-driven process hopes to restore trust, reconciliation, and enhance civil-military relations.

Brown calls on the local communities in the county to embrace peace from the family level and extend it beyond the community.

“Peace is very important because we know that the conflict around Yei has affected peaceful co-existence among communities and we want to use this opportunity so that we work together for peace. I want to urge our people to begin forgiving and loving ourselves as brothers and sisters in Yei because with the peace we can live together as brothers, sisters, and mothers,” he said.

For his part, Adis Victor a civil society representative in Yei urges the peace committee to promote inclusion of all stakeholders and actors to promote peace ownership and reconciliation at the community level.

Adis also calls on the population in Yei to embrace peaceful co-existence to promote development in the conflict-affected Yei area.

“For us, in Yei, we are peace-loving people and it is very important to have to see development and for us to realize peace. We need to start it from the community level up to the national level and we need inclusion of all people including the civilians, the military, and the government so that we can understand our issues,” Victor said. “As civil society, we call for good relations between the civilians and the military and the government so that together we can build peace in the country.”

Local communities in Yei have repeatedly urged the government to promote sustainable local peace efforts for lasting peace and stability in the county.

Source: Radio Tamazuj

At least three children were killed and seven others injured in a grenade explosion in Ayod County of South Sudan’s Jonglei State on Wednesday, locals and officials said.

Speaking to Radio Tamazuj on Wednesday, James Chuol Jiek, the Ayod County commissioner, said the incident occurred when a grenade accidentally exploded in the Wau area.

“I received the report about this incident last night at 7 pm. Up to now, we are gathering details on what prompted the incident. Three children died on the spot and seven more are in critical condition,” he said.

One resident Gatkuoth Leah said: “Three children were killed and seven others injured near a school in Wau Payam. That school is not operational. It is being used as a residence. So, we do not know what prompted the incident.”

For his part, Col. Gatjuol Rik Lam, the county police inspector, said an investigation has been launched into the incident.

“The way it happened, there are no details. But that home is located near the school so it could be remnants of war,” he said.

The officer called for the evacuation of the wounded for medical attention, as he warned that the casualties could rise.

Source: Radio Tamazuj

As South Sudan marked this year’s ‘International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists’ on 2 November, the Union of Journalists of South Sudan (UJOSS) and the Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO) urge all stakeholders, including security personnel, to end impunity for crimes committed against journalists in the country.

“We are calling on the government at all levels, national, state, local, communities because we have also discovered that some communities even arrest journalists. Whenever such things happen, they should be investigated and those who committed crimes should be brought to book. A lot of crimes and offenses are being committed against the journalists and the cases are never investigated,” UJOSS President Patrick Oyet said.

Oyet adds, “The message is that when any crime is committed against journalists, those crimes should be investigated and those suspected of committing the crime to be taken to court and if guilty be punished accordingly.”

UJOSS and CEPO say they are concerned about the persistent increase in assaults, threats, intimidations, arrests, and detentions of journalists as well as closure of media houses.

The 2021 International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists highlights the instrumental role of prosecutorial services, investigating and prosecuting not only killings but also threats of violence against journalists.

On the day to end impunity against journalists both UJOSS and CEPO call for an end to all crimes and threats against journalists and urge all relevant stakeholders in the country, including members of the security personnel to respect the work which journalists do.

“The issue of impunity against journalists in South Sudan is real and clear evidence that freedom of expression and the rights to information is still problematic in the country,” Edmund Yakani, the Executive Director of CEPO said in a statement.

The role of journalists in the country remains crucial especially during this time of the peace agreement implementation, constitution-making process, and elections slated for 2023.

UJOSS and CEPO urge the Media Authority of South Sudan, Information Commission, and the Communication Authority to take the lead towards ending impunity against journalists.

“The development of the code of conduct for journalists by the Media Authority of South Sudan is a great step towards correcting the situation of impunity against journalists. CEPO and UJOSS will partner with the Media Authority to disseminate the journalist’s code of conduct,” noted Yakani.

The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 2 November as the ‘International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists’ in General Assembly Resolution A/RES/68/163. The date was chosen in commemoration of the assassination of two French journalists in Mali on 2 November 2013.

Source: Radio Tamazuj

Authorities in South Sudan’s Unity State have warned of a catastrophic humanitarian situation in the state as devastating floods cut off roads to and from the state and threaten to submerge the Bentiu Airport.

Unity State information minister Hon Gabriel Makuei told Radio Tamazuj on Monday that if the situation continues the people will not access supplies especially food items from neighboring Sudan.

“The flood is going slowly by slowly to the airport. But the UN is trying to put around some dykes at the airport and the little water remaining will be scoped out from the airport,” he said. “All the roads to Unity State are cut off by floods and the state government and the civilian in the state are trying to scope out floodwaters from the roads so that some vehicles coming from Sudan and the oil companies will pass.”

Gabriel said all the roads linking Unity State with Sudan have been submerged by the floods stalling the movement of goods and services.

According to the UN World Food Programme, more than 750,000 people have been affected by flooding in 27 counties across eight states since May 2021. This is the third year of unprecedented flooding and the devastating flood situation, particularly in areas like Bentiu, Unity State, has aggravated need for humanitarian assistance.

Source: Radio Tamazuj

Dozens of people, including lawyers, politicians, government officials and professionals have been arbitrarily detained, and some allegedly tortured, and an ongoing campaign against revolutionaries across Sudan by army and militia forces since the military coup seized power on October 25.

The number of detainees in Darfur has increased rapidly. In Nyala, capital of South Darfur, Zalingei, capital of Central Darfur, and ED Daein, capital of East Darfur, at least 47 people, including lawyers, professionals, government officials, and politicians are in detention.

Sources reported that the 13 detainees in El Daein were sentenced to three months in prison, according to the emergency measures announced by coup leader Fen Abdelfattah El Burhan on seizing power.

The Sudanese Human Rights and Development Organisation (HUDO) reported a detention campaign carried out by the Sudanese army and Rapid Support Forces in Ed Damazin and neighbouring El Roseires in Blue Nile state since October 25.

HUDO said in a statement on Monday that the forces abused and tortured the detainees before releasing them. Others appeared before a court on Tuesday.

Mohanad Babiker, member of the Empowerment Removal Committee of Blue Nile state, and five university students were held at Ed Damazin market on October 25, in addition to arbitrary detentions of more than 15 young people, including minors, the latest HUDO statement says.

In Wad Madani, the authorities detained a number of deans and lecturers of the University of El Gezira on Tuesday. The Dean of the Faculty of Dentistry, Mohamed Ayes, was held a week ago.

In River Nile state, seven members of resistance committees active in the neighbourhoods of Ed Damer were detained.

Source: Radio Dabanga

The civilian political forces of Eastern Sudan issued a statement today denouncing the military coup as “an attempt to commit national suicide” and “a violation of the law”, calling on the public “in the East and throughout the country to engage in civil disobedience and demonstrate by all legitimate means until the surrender of the putschists”.

The crucial Southern Port of Port Sudan remains closed and blockaded by protestors, in spite of the announcement by the High Council of Beja Nazirs and Independent Chieftains on Monday to provisionally open the ports for a month – after a closure that has lasted a month and a half – following a reported promise of participation in government by the coup leaders.

In a forceful press statement forwarded to Radio Dabanga today, the civil and political forces in eastern Sudan against the coup, including eight individuals including the former Wali of Kassala, and five civil society organisations and parties*, declare their categorical rejection of the military coup, denouncing it as a rebellion against the will of the people and a violation of the law.

“We appeal to our people in the East and throughout the country to engage in civil disobedience and demonstrate by all legitimate means until the surrender of the putschists.

“We call on all actors from the sons and daughters of eastern Sudan to form committees to lead the movement from residential neighbourhoods to government institutions and universities and in every location.

“We condemn the attempts of some of the members of the former regime to hijack the name of eastern Sudan and its social components to support the ‘attempt to commit national suicide’, led by Gen Abdelfattah El Burhan.

“We ask everyone to be vigilant and wary of any attempts that may be led by the revolutionaries and the remnants of the former regime to drag the mass movement into the trap of conflicts and impose hate speech.”

The signatories affirm their ongoing support for the values and principles of the December 2019 revolution.

Blockades persist

Reporting from Port Sudan, journalist Amin Sanada, who is one of the signatories, told Radio Dabanga that the sit-in tents are still erected in front of the Southern Port, and the entrances to the port are closed. The protestors say that they will maintain the closure of the port until their related demands are met, and stressed their disagreement with the decision of Nazir Sayed Tirik, Chairman of the Beja Council, to open ports and roads.

Tirik announced his support for El Burhan and the coup last week, after the coup leaders acknowledged the political demands of the Beja leaders concerning participation in the government. Tirik pledged at the time that they will ease the blocking of the ports and the highway as soon as a part of their demands have been agreed on.

However, Sanada says that the protestors who are continuing their blockade of the Southern Port affirm their solidarity with the sit-ins and civil disobedience campaigns that are organised in the rest of the country to adhere to the democratic transition.

He reports that Suakin Port, some 50 kilometres south of Port Sudan, has been partially opened, as has the road between the oil refinery and the city of Port Sudan.

Source: Radio Dabanga