Day: May 10, 2022

This briefing paper provides an overview of the context surrounding missing migrants in the East and Horn of Africa (EHoA), including the most important routes in the region, risks experienced by people on the move, causes of death and critical data needs.1 Worldwide, over 47,000 people have died or disappeared during migration since 2014, while 1,063 deaths and disappearances have been recorded in the EHoA region. Of the routes in this region, the Eastern Corridor is the most trafficked and visible and it continues to be where most verified reports arise of migrants losing their lives (109 in 2021, 59 in 2020, and 135 in 2019).

Due to the challenges of collecting verified data, the numbers of people who suffer such experiences and lose their lives in transit are underreported, and evidence suggests many more go unknown. In view of this data gap, IOM’s Global Migration Data Analysis Centre and the EHoA Regional Data Hub (RDH) joined efforts in 2020 to strengthen data collection and reporting on the lives that are lost in transit.

This briefing paper draws on data from the IOM Missing Migrants Project (MMP), Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM), and Migration Response Centre (MRC) registrations, as well as from media monitoring,

IOM interviews with field staff in areas of high mobility flows and migrant interviews conducted as part of ongoing research along the migratory corridors.2 The report is structured in the following manner: The first section provides an overview of the landscape surrounding migrant deaths and disappearances in the region, proceeded by trends along the Eastern Route and Southern Routes, a description of the methodology and data limitations and a concluding statement with a call to action for Member States to strengthen efforts toward safe and regular pathways to migration.

Source: International Organization for Migration

The VisionFund 2021 Annual Report highlights work carried out by its global network of 28 microfinance institutions across Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, and Latin America.

Through our financial services offered to women and men living in rural, vulnerable communities, 4.3 million children benefitted from improved livelihoods.

Source: World Vision

U.S. Assistant Secretary for African Affairs Molly Phee told the head of the military-led Sovereign Council that international economic support to Sudan would resume once a civilian government is established.

On Sunday Phee had a phone call with Lt Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan to encourage him to move toward the restoration of a civilian transitional government after his coup of October 25, 2021.

The US top diplomat is facing pressure from the Congress members who see no effective measures taken in Khartoum to restore the civilian government despite the pledges made by the military leaders in this respect.

Ahead of the launch of the UNITAMS-AU-IGAD facilitated dialogue, Phee on Sunday by phone with al-Burhan to courage him to take the needed measures to create the needed conducive environment for the process.

The State Department on Monday said that she welcomed the recent release of political detainees and pressed for the full implementation of the confidence-building measures including lifting the state of emergency and the release of the remaining political detainees.

“She underscored the need for the military to transfer power to a civilian government established under such a framework to enable the resumption of international financial support and development assistance,” further stressed the statement.

Special envoys from France, Germany, Norway, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, and the European Union on April 28, met with al-Burhan to express their support for the efforts of the tripartite mechanism to end the political stalemate.

The visiting diplomats warned that any agreement or government resulting from non-inclusive processes would lack credibility with the Sudanese public and the international community.

Phee, on February 1, 2022, told the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee that she was working on sanctions targeting the Sudanese military companies and military-controlled companies.

However, she stressed they still believe that current conditions in Sudan still allow to smartly bring back the democratic transition in Sudan.

“Some of them truly would like to effect the transition but they do not know how to do it,” she added referring to al-Burhan.

His deputy and commander of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) plans to lead the country one day, as his entourage confesses.

In a statement issued after the phone call on Sunday, the Sovereign Council said that al-Burhan pledged his commitment to complete the democratic transition

He further “reiterated his commitment to supporting the tripartite mechanism’s efforts as well as other efforts by the Sudanese to achieve national consensus”.

On Monday, al-Burhan continued his efforts to mobilise tribal and religious figures as well as small political groups from several regions to back his efforts to marginalize the political of the Forces for Freedom and Change that he ousted from power in October 2021.

The signatories of the National Declaration for Sovereignty and Democratic Transition stated their support for the national sovereignty, and the democratic transition, and rejected “foreign interference in Sudanese affairs”.

One of the controversial religious figures in Sudan Mohamed Mustafa Abdel Qadir stated that the purpose of this Declaration is to “deliver a message to Volker (Perthes of the UNITAMS) and the western countries, which have tyrannized our country to make it their own”.

Source: Sudan Tribune

The date of the intra-Sudanese dialogue process has not yet been determined, said UNITAMS spokesman on Monday without elaborating on the circumstances that caused the delay.

In April, the three envoys of UNITAMS, African Union and IGAD met the head of the Sovereign Council exhorting him to take confidence-building measures adding they want to launch the process during the Holy Month of Ramadan.

After a series of meetings with Sudanese stakeholders, six envoys from the European Union and Troika countries issued a statement on 29 April where they welcomed “the facilitators’ announcement that they would convene a meeting to this end on 10-12 May”.

However, until May 9 none of the stakeholders confirmed the receipt of an invitation to attend the dialogue meeting.

“The meeting was scheduled for this week,” said UNITAMS Spokesman Fadi al-Qadi in an email to the Sudan Tribune, “but I have no knowledge when it would take place,” he further added.

The two-day meeting aims at bringing the various Sudanese stakeholders to adopt an agenda to discuss amendments to the constitutional declaration, criteria for selecting a prime minister and government, plan to end the deteriorating economic situation and general elections.

Obviously, the facilitators failed to find a formula enabling them to combine the different positions declared by the stakeholders.

The Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC) say they are committed to the process stressing it should lead to establishing full civilian government without military participation.

For their part, the military who control power after the coup say not interested in power but at the same time work to establish a new political coalition including the allies of the former regime to counter the FFC groups.

An eastern Sudan tribal group also reiterated its demand to cancel the eastern Sudan peace protocol which is part of the Juba Agreement for Peace in Sudan.

Observers in Khartoum say pessimistic that the process with its current configuration can lead to the restoration of a civilian government.

Source: Sudan Tribune

The political crisis in Sudan is delaying efforts to settle final status of the disputed region of Abyei, a South Sudanese official said.

Tut Gatluak Manime, the presidential adviser on security affairs said Abyei was one of the issues to be resolved by the leaders of the two countries.

He said positive momentum was picking up following reciprocal visits of both country’s leaders as well as support for each other’s peace processes.

“Our relations with Sudan are good and this has provided an environment to discuss and find a lasting solution to the status of Abyei. His Excellency the president looks forward to resuming the talk on Abyei with his brother Gen Abdel Fattah Al Burhan soon. It is one of the top priorities of his agenda. What has delayed the resumption of the talk is the current political situation in Sudan,” Manime told Sudan Tribune.

He added, “You know when brothers are having an important issue before them, you let them finish first so that they are able to give you full attention after they finished what had drawn their attention”.

President Salva Kiir, according to his advisor, continues to work with the African Union for immediate resumption of direct talks between Sudan and South Sudan in order to resolve the final status of Abyei, among other issues.

In September 2019, Kiir and former Sudan’s Prime Minister Abdullah Hamdok met in the capital, Juba to find a solution on final status of Abyei region.

That meeting tackled a wide range of issues that remain unresolved between the two countries, including oil arrangements. The talks proposed the opening of additional border crossing points, the redeployment of forces from the Safe Demilitarized Border Zone, and the full deployment of the monitoring mechanism.

Source: Sudan Tribune

South Sudan on Monday urged the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) to cooperate and contain the renewed clashes between communities in Twic County and the Abyei area.

“The committee urges UNISFA to cooperate in the quest for stability and support the implementation of the cessation of hostilities agreement”, partly reads a statement issued by the South Sudanese Investment minister, Dhieu Mathok Diing Wol.

The official’s statement came in the wake of the resumption of hostilities between the two sides in violation of the cessation of hostilities agreement likely to jeopardize ongoing efforts and commitment to peaceful dialogue.

Wol, who is currently the secretary of the fact-finding committee appointed by President Salva Kiir in February, said the committee called on all parties to use restraint and renew their commitment to a viable ceasefire.

The committee strongly condemned the resumption of clashes and reminds the parties of their obligations stipulated in the cessation of hostilities agreement signed in Aweil, Northern Bahr el Ghazal State on April 4 2022.

The South Sudanese minister’s statement further explains that the cessation of hostilities agreement prevents any activity regarding the border claims until the national government addresses the matter.

The committee calls on the parties to cease hostilities and recommit themselves, saying its leadership has been closely monitoring the situation on the ground and in communication with actors on both sides to avert escalation of the situation.

Speaking to Sudan Tribune on Monday, the Twic County commissioner, Deng Tong, explained that his office has documented several violations since the cessation of hostilities was signed with the rival community.

According to the local area official, from February 10th to 11th 2022, confrontations resulted in the loss of 15 lives and 18 others were wounded.

A child on his way to Anthony was reportedly among those killed five days.

A separate incident occurred on April 3, prior to the signing of the cessation of hostilities deal with Ngok Dinka when Tong Deng Anyuon-Aweng Payam and Kiir Goch Deng Kiir from Akoc Payam were killed inside Abyei town.

It was not immediately clear what triggered the resumption of hostilities between the two communities after Twic County and Abyei Special Administration signed the Cessation of Hostility Agreement in Aweil, Northern Bahr El-Ghazal State.

On February 10, 2022, President Kiir appointed a fact-finding committee led by the Vice President for Service Cluster, Hussein Abdel Bagi Akol to investigate the communal fight that broke out in Aneet town between Twic and Ngok Dinka of Abyei.

Source: Sudan Tribune