Day: December 30, 2021

BRUSSELS— African leaders will meet their European counterparts at a summit to redefine their relationship, even as the continent feels the pain of recent negative policies from Europe.

The meeting, planned for February, will come weeks before the US-Africa summit set to be hosted by US President Joe Biden, and just months after the Forum on China–Africa Co-operation (FOCAC) summit that was held in Senegal in November.

African leaders say financing economies weighed down by the Covid-19 pandemic and debts, and vaccine access, are all critical issues to future engagement with Europe.

Even before they met on Dec 19 in a session hosted by European Council president Charles Michel to prepare the upcoming EU-AU Summit in Brussels on Feb 17-18 next year, several African leaders attended the three-day Turkey-Africa Partnership Summit.

Michel emphasised that the new EU-AU alliance should be based on prosperity, peace and common values, and that the EU supports a holistic approach to strengthen African health systems and vaccine production.

Among the participants were President of Senegal Macky Sall, AU Commission president Moussa Faki, DRC President Félix Tshisekedi, President of Rwanda Paul Kagame, European Investment Bank president Werner Hoyer and OIF Secretary-General Louise Mushikiwabo.

At the Turkey-Africa summit, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan pledged common development and prosperity, as well as to help address “the global injustice and victimisation of Africa in terms of access to vaccines”, in an attempt to leverage on the longstanding grudge over alleged bias in vaccine distribution that pitted Africa against the West.

African governments continued to push for the waiver of intellectual property protection for Covid-19 vaccines to enable the continent to produce the much-needed doses to speed up inoculation.

The continent equally seeks to use engagements with the EU to secure a chunk of the bloc’s reserves at the International Monetary Fund and World Bank, a move that could see more than $100 billion sent to cash-strapped governments on the continent.

Other global powers like China, Japan, India, the US, and Russia continue to woo Africa with goodies, investments, trade and co-operation deals across sectors.

Their actions appear to be the scramble for influence on the continent which is a critical source of natural resource reserves, and a consumer market for their products.

The EU has offered to mobilise up to $340 billion worth of investments as part of its Global Gateway strategy between 2021 and 2027.

The bloc promises to support African health systems and vaccine production, and investments in areas such as climate and energy, transport, education and research.

EU indicates that the European Investment Bank and the co-operation agencies of France, Spain and Germany signed a $113.3 million credit line to support African small and medium businesses to recover from the pandemic and to take on growth opportunities from the African Continental Free Trade Area.

The bloc equally pledges to mobilise $2.7 billion in grants for sub-Saharan Africa.

In addition, it has pledged more than $1.1 billion to North Africa to support renewable energy and the production of hydrogen, which can help meet the EU’s projected demand for clean energy.

Source: NAM NEWS NETWORK

HAMBURG (Germany)— Several cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed on two luxury cruise ships, their German operator confirmed.

“We identified cases of Covid-19 during routine tests on board the Europa and Europa 2. The affected persons are doing well and have no or only mild symptoms,” the Hamburg-based Hapag-Lloyd Cruises said, without giving concrete figures.

Those who tested positive and anyone they had contact with were immediately isolated from the others on board, the company said.

“The plan is for those who tested positive to disembark in Dubai and go into quarantine there, where they will be cared for by a medical provider,” it added.

By Tuesday afternoon, both ships had arrived in the Arabian Sea off Dubai.

All staff and passengers on board the ships are said to be fully vaccinated. Both crew members and guests are also tested regularly.

The Europa 2, with its 280 passengers and 380 crew members, was originally set to travel from Dubai to Mauritius over Christmas and New Year. The trip is now set to end a few days earlier than planned, on Dec 30 or 31.

The Europa, carrying 240 guests and 280 crew members, is scheduled to sail to Mauritius and the Maldives over the holidays. Following the stopover in Dubai, it will continue its voyage towards the Maldives.

Source: NAM NEWS NETWORK

KHARTOUM — Security authorities in Sudan’s North Darfur State declared a curfew in the state from 6 p.m. to 5 a.m. until further notice to curb widespread lootings which recently began targeting the United Nations (UN) warehouses and other international entities in the region.

The indefinite curfew was announced following an emergency meeting for North Darfur State’s security committee held at the government’s headquarters in the state’s capital of El Fasher to discuss its latest security developments.

Wide-spread lootings were reported on Tuesday evening on the warehouses of the World Food Program (WFP) in El Fasher as well as the headquarters and assets of the United Nations-African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID).

North Darfur State’s police chief Abdul-Karim Hamdo urged local residents to abide by the curfew for their own safety.

In the meantime, eyewitnesses said that an armed group aboard six four-wheel drive vehicles raided the WFP warehouses in El Fasher and looted food materials after they clashed with the security of force that was guarding the warehouses, and yet no casualties were reported during the incidents.

The logistic base of the outgoing UNAMID in El Fasher was also reportedly looted on Dec. 26.

Source: NAM NEWS NETWORK

About three weeks ago, the media reported that First Vice President Dr Riek Machar has suggested a change of the country’s name from South Sudan to the People’s Republic of Sudan. According to Eye Radio, “Dr. Riek personally suggested that the People’s Republic of Sudan would match the originality of Sudan in relation to its history with the people.”

Eye Radio also noted that on 23 January 2011, members of a steering committee on the post-independence governing body announced that upon independence the land would be named the Republic of South Sudan “out of familiarity and convenience.” Other names were also suggested.

Being the journalist I am, people expect my views on the topic, and while I find it right to declare that my efforts to verify the truthfulness of this Eye Radio’s quote with what I earlier read attributed to Dr Machar on the same has not been successful, well to start with, I am of the view that the name the Republic of South Sudan is appropriate and sufficient, including in relation to maintaining our history as people who have seceded from Sudan as well as other reasons mentioned by others.

It is well known among Constitutional Law Scholars and others that it is a Preamble of a Constitution that contains its spirit.

Another point worth stating here is related to a debate I hosted on Radio Bakhita in 2015 with renowned academic and former minister Dr Luka Biong Deng and veteran politician Steward Soroba, who was representing The National Alliance that was chaired by Dr Lam Akol then. During the discussions, I asked questions about Federalism, the Permanent Constitution-Making process in the ARCSS of 2015 by then and the significance of maintaining parts of the preamble of the Transitional Constitution 2011.

So, the issue of the Preamble and my views on the same is probably expected very much publicly.

For the benefit of the reader, let me mention relevant paragraphs of the preamble of The Transitional Constitution of the Republic of South Sudan here:

“We, the People of South Sudan;

Grateful to the Almighty God for giving the people of South Sudan the wisdom and courage to determine their destiny and future through a free, transparent, and peaceful referendum in accordance with the provisions of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, 2005;

Recalling our long and heroic struggle for justice, freedom, equality and dignity in South Sudan;

Remembering and inspired by the selfless sacrifices of our martyrs, heroes and heroines;

Dedicated to a genuine national healing process and the building of trust and confidence in our society through dialogue;

Determined to lay the foundation for a united, peaceful and prosperous society based on justice, equality, respect for human rights and the rule of law;

Committed to establishing a decentralized democratic multi-party system of governance in which power shall be peacefully transferred and to upholding values of human dignity and equal rights and duties of men and women.”

Well, on this point, about tracing and acknowledging struggles that have led to South Sudan’s Independence (Sovereignty), here, it is worth mentioning that in The Interim Constitution of Southern Sudan, 2005, the following are relevant paragraphs:

“We, the People of Southern Sudan,

Grateful to Almighty God for giving the people of Sudan the wisdom and courage to reach a peace agreement which ended a long and tragic conflict;

Recalling our long and heroic struggle for justice, freedom, equality and dignity in Sudan;

Remembering and inspired by the selfless sacrifices of our martyrs, heroes and heroines;

Committed to the Comprehensive Peace Agreement of January 9, 2005, and the Interim National Constitution of the Republic of Sudan, 2005.”

So, I find it normal and right to have had offered my view and continue to have the view that the history of the struggles be traced, mentioned and acknowledged clearly in the preamble of the Constitution since it is the preamble of the Constitution that is its spirit and can help give directions to people and generations to come.

On The Republic of South Sudan and its Territory, the Transitional Constitution says:

1. (1) South Sudan is a sovereign and independent Republic, and it shall be known as “The Republic of South Sudan.”

(2) The territory of the Republic of South Sudan comprises all lands and air space that constituted the three former Southern Provinces of Bahr el Ghazal, Equatoria and Upper Nile in their boundaries as they stood on January 1, 1956, and the Abyei Area, the territory of the nine Ngok Dinka chiefdoms transferred from Bahr el Ghazal Province to Kordofan Province in 1905 as defined by the Abyei Arbitration Tribunal Award of July 2009.

(3) The Republic of South Sudan is bordered by Sudan in the north, Ethiopia in the east, Kenya and Uganda in the south, the Democratic Republic of Congo in the southwest, and the Central African Republic in the west.”

On this, a point worth mentioning is that, among other relevant provisions, in Chapter 6 on the Parameters of The Constitution, The R-ARCSS has provided that the Parties reaffirm their commitment to the ARCSS that a federal and democratic system of governance that reflects the character of the Republic of South Sudan and ensures unity in diversity be enacted during the permanent constitution-making process.

With so much literature out there already and an exchange of views on how best to move forward with the South Sudan peace process, contribute to regional peace and beyond, more healthy debates should just continue, as well as be enabled where it does not exist.

Source: Radio Tamazuj

The Rizeigat Arab tribe from Sudan’s West Darfur has begun its seasonal migration of cattle into South Sudan’s Northern Bahr al Ghazal State.

The herders are expected to stay with their herds for up to five or six months in the northern border state of South Sudan, after which they will take them back to their homeland in West Darfur.

Dinka Malual, the natives of Northern Bahr el Ghazal, are yet to sign an agreement with the Arab pastoralists. Leaders of both sides meet annually in order to set herding routes, discuss blood compensation in the event of any killings, and set up mechanisms for dealing with disputes.

Victorino Ken Akoon, the Commissioner of Aweil North County, confirmed to Radio Tamazuj on Tuesday that the Rizeigat pastoralists have begun migrating into the area. He, however, said the government had instructed the herders to station on the north bank of Kiir Adem River until an agreement is reached between the Dinka Malual and the Rizeigat tribes.

Kiir Adem River lies in a border area between Sudan and South Sudan.

“Some few weeks ago they crossed the Kiir Adem River up to the southern bank, but we told them to wait in the northern part until some preliminary agreements are made,” Ken said.

“My message is that peace is important and we don’t want to revenge if something happens. If these people (Rizeigat) come, the partner organizations and the government must engage them to embark on peace, we need peace,” he added.

Apath Deng Apath, Chairperson of Northern Bahr al Ghazal Conflict Resolution Commission, said the cattle pre-migration conference was delayed because some partners failed to support the activity.

“Pre-migration peace conferences between Dinka Malual, Rizeigat and Misseriya were supposed to commence by December. We had prepared our plan as the commission, but the partners did not release the finds,” he concluded.

Source: Radio Tamazuj

A group of men riding in a shaded vehicle blocked the car of Nafeesa Hajar, deputy head of the Darfur Bar Association (DBA), when she was heading home in Khartoum on Tuesday evening.

The group, whose identity was not revealed, threatened the lawyer if she and her colleagues would continue to provide legal aid to detained protesters and those who were sexually harassed and raped during the December 25 demonstrations.

The DBA said in a statement yesterday that more of its lawyers have been intimidated in the same way.

The Association stated that it will continue to do its work, which is “providing legal aid to those affected by human rights violations and championing rights and freedoms issues”.

The Darfur lawyers will submit a memorandum to the Attorney General requesting “to take these threats seriously as well as the criminal infringement that may result from them”.

Source: Radio Dabanga