Day: April 22, 2022

The Sudanese government handed over to the United Nations undersecretary-general and Security Council members a document containing its demands from the political mission to assist the democratic transition in the country (UNITAMS).

The Sudanese Foreign Ministry said on Thursday that the acting undersecretary Ambassador Nadir Youssif al-Tayeb is currently visiting New York to hand over a matrix that includes the Sudanese government’s demands from the UNITAMS.

In this respect, al-Tayeb met with Rosemary DiCarlo, Undersecretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, some of the permanent members of the Security Council and the African Group at the Security Council, in addition to India and the UAE, the current president of the Security Council.

Sudan requests support “to implement the Juba Agreement for Peace in Sudan, the implementation of its protocols, mobilize resources, the national human rights mechanisms, said the statement.

Also, the Sudanese diplomat requested to provide logistical support for a capacity building programme, assisting the establishment of the Commission for Disarmament and Reintegration, the Transitional Justice Mechanism and Reconstruction and Development Mechanism.”

Relations have deteriorated between the government and the UNITAMS Head Volker Perthes after the military coup of last October.

The Head of the Sovereign Council Abdel Fattah al-Burhan accused Perthes of giving his time to political issues and neglecting his mandate to support the peace process and implementation of the Juba agreement.

Earlier this month, al-Burhan threatened to expel the UNITAMS head from Sudan, after a regular report to the Security Council where he spoke about the deteriorating situation in Sudan after the coup.

On 3 June 2020, the Security Council established the UNITAMS, as a special political mission under Chapter VI, to provide support to Sudan to achieve its political transition to democratic rule.

Source: Sudan Tribune

South Sudan President Salva Kiir has called for reconciliation between the country’s spy chief, Akol Koor Kuc and the former army chief of staff, Paul Malong Awan, a presidential aide disclosed.

Koor is currently the Director-General of South Sudan’s National Security Service (NSS).

“Talks between the government and holdout groups are due to resume in the coming period. But the challenge which we are seeing is that Paul Malong and General Akol Koor Kuc, the director-general for the internal bureau of our national security services need to reconcile. His Excellency the president has indicated this to general Akol on numerous occasions and this prompted him to reach out to General Paul Malong himself to initiate reconciliation before talks resumed,” the presidential aide, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Sudan Tribune on Wednesday.

Koor fell out with the former army chief of staff, resulting in the removal of the former amid allegations that he was plotting to remove Kiir from power.

Several efforts to pursue Malong to return to the country from exile have been fruitless after he proposed a negotiated arrangement for his return.

Allies of the South Sudanese leader now want Koor and the country’s former army chief of general staff to reconcile in order to guarantee the support of their constituencies during the next elections or when political differences arise with the main competitors, requiring strong and unified support in Dinka constituencies.

“Elders have been talking to President Salva that there are no permanent enemies in politics. His family is also talking to him. You know relations between president Salva and Paul Malong did not start when he became the president. Their relations started way back during liberation days. The family and friends feel that differences in opinions should not break long-time relations,” the aide further explained.

He added, “Dialogue should be given priority and this is what elders are doing and the president has indicated his readiness to reconcile with Paul Malong. So, he wants this dialogue to start first between Gen Akol and Paul Malong”.

According to the presidential source, peace talks mediated by the Rome-based Sant’Egidio community between the government and the South Sudan Opposition Movement Alliance (SSOMA) will resume when internal consultations are concluded.

Malong leads the South Sudan United Front (SSUF), which is part of SSOMA.

Source: Sudan Tribune

The overall security situation in the Abyei Administrative Area has remained calm, but the trust deficit between the Misseriya and Ngok Dinka communities remains of great concern, the head of the United Nations Peacekeeping Department told the Security Council on Thursday.

Speaking by videoconference, Jean-Pierre Lacroix said the UN mission worked tirelessly with the Sudan and South Sudan governments and community leaders on both sides to come to an agreement on this dry season’s migration route.

“It is first and foremost for the Governments of Sudan and South Sudan to renew their engagement on the final status of Abyei,” he explained.

Lacroix further welcomed the recent request for support from both parties towards organizing the next Abyei Joint Oversight Committee (AJOC) meeting.

The UN official was briefing the 15-member Council on the work of the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) in the disputed oil-producing area.

Last week, 29 people were killed and 30 wounded in clashes within Abyei.

“These deaths and injuries could have been avoided had there been more trust between the two communities at all levels,” Lacroix told the Council.

He appealed to the Security Council to continue to support the Abyei Joint Programme to promote areas of shared interest for the two communities, such as transhumance, border management and protection mechanisms for women, children, and vulnerable groups.

According to Lacroix, significant progress were made since the programme was proposed in September and consultations with women, youth, elders and other community members were now at an advanced stage.

He specifically lack of expertise in documenting human rights violations as one of the challenges affecting its peacekeeping mission in Abyei region.

The UN peacekeeping chief further reported that the humanitarian situation in Abyei had deteriorated since his last briefing in October 2021, with the number of people requiring aid rising from 103,000 to 240,000.

This, he said, was largely due to deadly violence between Twic Dinka and Ngok Dinka communities that left over 25 people dead earlier this year.

Lacroix urged the Council to extend UNISFA’s mandate for an additional six months.

Separately, the UN Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa, Hannah Tetteh said the coup in Sudan negatively affected bilateral relations between Sudan and South Sudan, which had started deepening but they are now trying to re-boot.

She said South Sudan’s President, Salva Kiir and the head of the Sovereign Council in Sudan, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan agreed to focus on cooperation along the border, starting with an approach to peace through the development of unitized oil fields, including in Abyei.

Source: Sudan Tribune