Day: November 15, 2021

The Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) political party last week launched an exercise to register its members in Lakes State as part of preparations for its third national convention in 2022 and general elections scheduled for 2023 as stipulated in the revitalized peace agreement.

The launch the of membership registration drive took place during a reception to welcome Governor Rin Tueny Mabor, who also doubles as the SPLM interim chairperson in the state, at the SPLM Secretariat office in Rumbek town on Tuesday.

Addressing SPLM members of the executive and parliamentary caucus, SPLM county chairpersons, and party supporters at the SPLM Secretariat office, Governor Tueny said SPLM’s historical background as a revolutionary political-military movement is guided by the aspirations of the people.

“I will briefly remind us of our historical background as a revolutionary political-military movement guided by the aspirations entrenched in the unity, justice, and equality of our people and development of our nation,” Gen. Tueny said.

He said the SPLM was founded in 1983 as a political-military movement representing the South Sudanese who were oppressed, underdeveloped, and others enslaved in the then Sudan.

“As you all know, I was tasked and mandated to restore peace and stability and to protect lives and properties of our citizens by the president and chairman of SPLM Salva Kiir Mayardit,” Gen. Tueny said. “We are here today launching the SPLM membership registration and to reaffirm our commitment to serving our people and we are also here to implement the resolutions of SPLM national Secretariat high-level consultative meeting held in Juba on 26 September 2021.”

He said the SPLM high-level consultative meeting resolved to organize and restructure its organs following the reversal of 32 States to 10 States and 3 administrative areas, registration of party members, prepare the SPLM for the third national convention which is scheduled for early next year.

“As you see, the task is huge and we must solidify our commitment and effectiveness to this call of duty for our mother party. We must strongly register our firm allegiance to SPLM leadership under Chairman Salva Kiir Mayardit and remain as the stronghold of the SPLM/A, as it has always been,” He said.

For her part, the SPLM secretary-general in Lakes State, Asunta Bouda James, urged the SPLM political members to give maximum support to the governor on his agenda to ensure basic service delivery.

“The leadership has improved as we work day and night to ensure good governance, social justice, transparency and accountability in Lakes State”, she said. “Other issues will remain as administrative issues in the offices concerned.”

Source: Radio Tamazuj

Political leaders from across Eastern Equatoria State over the weekend met at Hotel Torit to discuss prioritize development plans for the growing challenges affecting the state.

The officials, including national parliamentarians, former state lawmakers, and the state cabinet also discussed how they can work together for the progress of the state.

In a communique released on Sunday after the meeting, the leaders reaffirmed their commitment to work together at the national, state, and local government levels in all matters related to Eastern Equatoria State.

The state’s information minister, Patrick Oting Cyprian, who read the communique said, “The political leaders were deeply concerned over the sporadic insecurity incidences, inter-village conflicts over cattle theft, revenge, and counter revenge killings and road ambushes.”

It further read: “Alarmed by the escalation of inter, intra village conflicts in Hiyala Payam; further alarmed by the Inter-State cattle migration from Jonglei State and child abduction from Greater Pibor Administrative Area (GPAA) and; deeply concerned by the insecurity caused by cattle herders in Magwi County which prevents the people from returning to their homes of origin.”

Minister Oting said the general economic difficulties and unemployment in the country are affecting the state and are one of the reasons for sporadic thefts, robberies, and ambushes. He also noted that the environmental degradation due to illegal logging and commercialization of charcoal burning is resulting in drought in some areas in the state which poses climate change challenges and insecurity.

“An urgent meeting with the GPAA shall be called to address the return of the abducted children and police forces shall be deployed and stationed at all the hotspots and security roads in the State and the Tiger Division in Magwi County to be redeployed and replaced by state police,” Minister Oting said.

The leaders also resolved that the good working relationship between all the parties to the revitalized peace agreement in Eastern Equatoria State be promoted and strengthened to assist in discharging their mandate and rendering services to the people.

Julius Moilinga, the head of the Eastern Equatoria State parliamentary caucus at the national assembly, described the meeting as a success and said cooperation between the arms of the government will help redeem the good name of the state.

“Honestly, I want to say this is a groundbreaking success which I believe is just the beginning. As the caucus in the parliament, we have a big role to play in the advancement of our state and cooperation,” Moilinga said. “We discussed a range of issues apart from the strategic plan which we concluded and we came up with a very strong communique.”

The meeting also resolved that transit camps for returnees in Eastern Equatoria State should not be allowed and that returnees must be taken directly to their areas of origin.

Source: Radio Tamazuj

A man was last week shot dead for impregnating the wife of a village mate in the Iyak Village of Ikotos County in Eastern Equatoria State.

According to local authorities, the deceased Longek Loyira impregnated the wife of his killer identified as Amali Lojarwa. The incident occurred at 10 pm last Thursday after an earlier attempt in the day to resolve the matter traditionally.

The Ikotos County police inspector, Warrant Officer Gabriel Arok Akom, said the suspect has not yet been apprehended but that his officers are pursuing him.

“The village called Iyak is where the incident happened because of a woman. Someone took someone’s wife and they were resolving the case traditionally yesterday (Thursday) but unfortunately at around 10 pm he (Lojarwa) came and killed this man (Loyira) who impregnated his wife,” Police inspector Arok explained. “I sent the police to the crime scene but his person has not been arrested yet.”

Ohisa Abraham Lokoromotoch, the youth leader in Ikotos County condemned the killing and said the killer should have followed traditional ways of resolving the adultery case by engaging a mediator.

“As the youth leader, I am not happy about the incident that happened because the person who killed the man has taken us as the youth back to zero because we were making this place very peaceful,” Ohisa said. “The issue of adultery is not a new thing and it does not mean that you have to kill a person.”

The Ikotos County Paramount Chief, John Odongi, confirmed the murder and said the matter should have been resolved peacefully.

“These cases are very common and people should go to the law. According to our culture, if such things happen, then people will sit down and a cow has to be given followed by traditional rituals using a goat. People should follow this law because all of us are under the law,” Chief Odongi said. “I am urging the relatives of the late to follow the law because revenge is not good.”

Source: Radio Tamazuj

The commissioner of Police in Warrap State, Major General Nhial Nhial, earlier today said that a young woman was knocked and killed by a truck that lost control in the Hai Mouzifin residential area in Kuajok town.

He added that the driver of the truck is in police custody and the deceased’s body was given to the bereaved family for burial.

“The incident occurred on 15 November at 7: 05 mm at Hai Mouzifin when a truck driver by name Kuot Machok Majok loaded his truck with groundnuts and brought it to the house of Muorwel Kuol Makuei,” Gen. Nhial narrated. “When the deceased woman called Alan Akuong opened the gate, the truck lost control and hit the wall fence which fell on her and killed her.”

He added: ”The suspect (driver) is in police custody awaiting legal procedures while the body of late was taken to hospital and is now in the process of being handed to the bereaved family for burial. This was what happened this morning.”

For his part, Kur Mabuoch Marup, a traffic police officer, confirmed that the incident occurred near Zain tower at Warralel and that the driver surrendered himself to the police.

“What happened this morning was that the driver brought a trailer loaded with groundnuts and when the woman opened the gate, the truck knocked the wall and it killed the woman,” Mabuoch said. “It happened at Warallel near the Zain tower and the driver ran to the police station for safety.”

Source: Radio Tamazuj

The number of victims of the November 13 Marches of the Millions in the Sudanese capital increased to seven, after two minors died of gunshot wounds in hospitals in the city. Many condemned the raids on hospitals and hindering of ambulances on the streets on Saturday.

Mujahid Farah (15) died in East Nile Hospital from bullet wounds to the abdomen and thigh on Sunday morning, the Central Committee of Sudan Doctors (CCSD) reported on Sunday. Yesterday, a 13-year-old girl, Remaz El Ata, who was hit in the head by a bullet on Saturday while she was standing in front of her house, died in a hospital as well.

The Socialist Doctors Association reported the names of the other victims: Mohamed Abakar (35), Abdelhameed Abdelkareem (31), El Sheikh Khater (19), Muhammad Osman (19), and Muzamil Nour (15).

The Association explained in a statement on Sunday that 122 people injured during the demonstrations in Khartoum on Saturday were being treated in El Arbaeen Hospital, Omdurman Teaching Hospital, East Nile Hospital, Royal Care Hospital, and Ibrahim Malik Hospital.

In a statement yesterday however, the CCSD reported that 212 people were injured during the November 13 Marches of the Millions. More than 100 of them were hit by bullets. At least 11 of them are in a critical condition.

In total, 23 people have been killed in Khartoum in protests since the military coup on October 25, the Sudan Doctors said.

The Legal Doctors Syndicate said that it had received testimonies from some of the hospitals in Khartoum that the bullets used to disperse the peaceful demonstrators “are of the kind that spread inside the body (explosive bullets), which are prohibited under international humanitarian law”.

‘Minimal force’

The police in Khartoum denied using firearms in dealing with the demonstrators.

In a statement on Sunday, the Khartoum police press office said they made use of “tear gas and minimal force” to maintain order.

The press office accused the demonstrators of attacking a number of police stations, which resulted in the injury of 39 policemen. He noted the burning of a police vehicle belonging to the Press Police Department.

Video clips posted on social media however, documented scenes of police forces firing live bullets and exerting excessive violence during the November 13 demonstrations.

Hospital raids

In a statement on Sunday, the Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC) condemned “the excessive and unjustified violence” with which the security forces faced the November 13 demonstrators, “despite the peacefulness of the protests”.

The FFC further strongly denounced the raids of hospitals by government forces, who attacking the injured and the medical staff, and in the case of the El Arbaeen Hospital in Omdurman, detained a number of them.

On Monday, the Medical Staff the Coordination organised vigils in front of a number of hospitals in the Sudanese capital and a number of hospitals in other states in protest against the military coup on October 25, and the attacks on hospitals and health centres.

In Kassala, eastern Sudan, a security force stormed the Kassala Teaching Hospital and prevented the medical staff from entering the hospital on Monday, in anticipation of the vigil.

The Central Committee of Sudan Doctors reported that the vigil was held in front of the Kassala hospital despite the security measures. Sources told Radio Dabanga that two participants in the vigil were detained.

Civil disobedience

More than 10 professionals associations and trade unions as well condemned “the violence practiced by the authorities in the face of the peaceful November 13 Marches of the Millions” and “doctors and other medical personnel in hospitals in an attempt to discourage them from performing their duty”.

They also condemned the hindering of the transport of the wounded to hospitals and clinics, saying that they amount to crimes against humanity.

The professionals announced a two-day strike in support of the civil disobedience actions announced by “the revolutionary forces”.

Source: Radio Dabanga

The Western Equatoria State government over the weekend detained an advocate in connection with organizing a demonstration.

The state’s acting information minister, Makuku Daniel Joseph, told Radio Tamazuj that the arrest of Advocate Samuel Borote was decided by the state security council who want him to answer for organizing an illegal demonstration.

“Currently there is mobilization by the civil society coalition planning to hold nationwide demonstrations, as a result of that the National Security Service (NSS) got that information and reported to the state authorities,” Minister Makuku said. “They (NSS) called the initiator of the demonstrations, Samuel Borote who is an advocate, to the office and detained him for further investigation.”

He added: “The state security committee sat down and decided that the National Security has to continue investigating him and after filing his report then the security committee will sit down, identify the findings and release him.”

Minister Makuku dismissed reports that the advocate was detained by SPLA-IO forces saying he is in the custody of the National Security Service.

“So those who went to social media saying that SPLM-IO arrested Borote are wrong. He is now in the custody of National Security,” Makuku said. “We know very well that the leadership of Western Equatoria is for SPLM/A-IO and if the government is deciding Western Equatoria, it is as the government. Let us stop baseless allegation because SPLM- IO is a party to the agreement and is part of the government.”

Source: Radio Tamazuj