Day: May 25, 2022

Volker Perthes UNITAMS head told the Security Council that time is running out for the Sudanese to strike a deal ending the current political crisis and called on the military leaders to implement confidence-building measures.

In a briefing to the 15-member body on the Sudanese crisis aggravated by the military coup of October 2021, Perthes spoke about the political, economic and security “disastrous” impacts of the political instability in the country.

He pointed out that the critical assistance the World Bank’s International Development Association (IDA) allocated to Sudan as part of the HIPC process will be reallocated to other countries by the end of June if a political solution is not reached.

In this respect, he further underscored that the restoration of a civilian-led government is required by donor countries to resume financial support to the Sudanese government, including debt relief.

“So if a solution to the current impasse is not found, the consequences will be felt beyond Sudan’s borders and for a generation. This is a message that I and the two Envoys continue to convey to Sudanese interlocutors,” he stressed.

UNITAMS head spoke about efforts of the tripartite mechanism to facilitate a dialogue ending the crisis. He added that dialogue can only succeed if a conducive environment was created.

“We also said that it is up to the Sudanese, particularly the authorities, to create this environment,” he emphasized.

The military rulers pledged to free political prisoners, end arbitrary detention, end violence against protesters and lift the state of emergency.

Nonetheless, the security authorities continue to open fire on protesters and arrest them. According to Emergency Lawyers over 130 protesters were held by the security forces.

Sudan’s Ambassador to the UN al-Harith Idriss called to support the government’s efforts to implement the peace agreement and to prepare for elections adding that UNITAMS is needed to play this role.

He further called to not link development assistance and political considerations stressing that it would endanger peacebuilding.

The international community must invest in the peace process because prosperity will help resolve conflict within communities, he added.

Africa calls for resumption of financial aid

Kenya’s Ambassador to the UN Martin Kimani, speaking also for Gabon and Ghana the two other non-permanent members of the Security Council, called on the international donors and international financial institutions to reconsider the temporary suspension of aid to Sudan and continue their support programmes and projects to sustain Sudanese lives and livelihoods.

“What is critical is for the Council to build the capacity of the Mission to effectively and efficiently implement its mandate,” he stressed.

The African support for the resumption of the economic assistance to the military-led government comes after several visits by a military member of the Sovereign Council Ibrahim Jabir to Gabon, Ghana and Kenya requesting their support for his government at the level of the Security Council meeting.

Source: Sudan Tribune

South Sudan’s Defense and Veteran Affairs minister, Angelina Teny said the developments that created a disturbance from local communities in Mile-14 area have amicably been dealt with.

She made the remarks at the meeting of the joint political and security mechanism between the Sudan and South Sudan in Khartoum on Tuesday

Teny, according to SUNA, also affirmed her country’s commitment to the joint work included in the mechanism, while calling for the necessity of controlling citizens at the borders between the two neighbouring countries.

She said the meeting, which was organized by Sudan’s acting Defense minister, Lieutenant-General Yassin Ibrahim Yassin, was a follow-up of a similar meeting held in the South Sudanese capital, Juba in November 2021.

Yassin, for his part, affirmed that the relations between Sudan and South Sudan will remain close, adding “We will remain one people in two states.”

He said the joint mechanism and its subcommittees have been working throughout the previous period to strengthen relations between the two countries to reach stability stage, without interfering in their internal affairs.

The Sudanese Defense minister underscored the strategic relations between the government of Sudan and South Sudan at the official and popular levels as well as the joint agreement between the two countries in order to enhance the principle of safe neighborhood and a bridge of communication, while stressing that the cooperation agreements included a number of areas, and their implementation would lead to more interests.

At the level of the joint political and security mechanism, the Yassin stated that Sudan is committed to what was agreed upon in the terms of the agreement, affirming withdrawal of the Sudanese forces from the demilitarized zone in line with the covenants between the two countries.

The joint mechanism meeting held in Khartoum mainly focused on border crossings, work of the Joint Border Commission and the Mile-14 committees.

The 14-Mile area, a strategically important strip of territory just south of the River Kiir, on the border between Northern Bahr el Ghazal, South Sudan and East Darfur, Sudan, was the scene of intermittent military clashes between the Governments of South Sudan and Sudan between 2011 and 2012.

As of March 2014, with both countries attention focused on internal conflicts, and discussions over a Safe Demilitarized Border Zone (SDBZ) at an impasse, the 14-Mile Area is reportedly peaceful, even if its demilitarization, which was a commitment from both countries in January 2014, remains highly unlikely in the near future.

Source: Sudan Tribune

Traditional leaders from the disputed oil-producing region of Abyei have commended the United Nations Interim Force for Abyei (UNISFA) and the Ugandan government for the resolutions reached during the recently-concluded peace initiative held in Entebbe, Uganda.

Speaking to Sudan Tribune on Tuesday, the Paramount chief of the Ngok Dinka, Bulabek Deng Kuol lauded the UN mission’s role, stressing that such efforts should be maintained to enhance peace and stability in the area.

“For us as the leaders of Ngok what matters was that we were able to meet with them [Misseriya] and talked about important issues. The issue of insecurity, of attacking and killings without provocations. In the old times, our traditional leaders used to hold meetings without the government but when different generations came, what the traditional leaders who knows their boundaries used to do was now taken by the government,” said Bulabek.

He added, “And so, a small problem which could be addressed promptly and amicably is allowed to stay for a long time”.

Bulabek said such efforts could be sustained to create peace and stability.

He commended the government of the united for hosting the talks at which the two sides signed a peace accord reiterating their commitment to achieving lasting peace in Abyei area.

The traditional leaders committed to advocating for inter-community dialogue to promote the protection of women and children as well as livestock and property, pledging to be tools for fostering peace between the two communities and to meet regularly in the quest for peace.

The four-point communique was signed by representatives of the two sides.

Bulabek represented the Dinka Ngok while the Misseriya delegation was represented by El Sadig Hireka Izzral Din at the joint conference organised by UNISFA.

Source: Sudan Tribune

A human rights group has expressed “deep” concern over the continued inter-tribal attacks between the between Dinka and Misseriya tribes in Abyi area located at the border between Sudan and South Sudan, urging “urgent” investigation into the incident.

The African Center for Justice and Peace Studies (ACJPS), in a statement, said these attacks resulted into the killing and injuring of several people.

The New York-based entity said it documented the killing of 21 people and wounding of12 others in four separate incidents in Abyei between April and May.

“ACJPS calls on the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) and the international community, to conduct an impartial and independent investigations into the circumstances of the killings and injuring,” partly reads ACJPS’s statement extended to Sudan Tribune.

“This investigation should be carried out with the aim of ensuring accountability”, it added.

ACJPS specifically appealed to the United Nations peacekeepers in Abyei (UNISFA) to deploy widely and ensure that patrol covers the upper areas, access ways and roads, links between markets and main residential areas.

It further urged the UN to review the 2015 agreement between the Dinka and Misseriya tribes that was signed in Alnam area in Abyei, in which both parties committed to ensuring security in joint markets and agreed to adopt compensation as a form of accountability in cases of damage resulting from attacks or loss of cattle.

The rights group also called upon authorities in Sudan and South Sudan to resume peace talks and ensure efforts to resolve to pending issues relating to Abyei Area.

In recent months, violence has intensified in the contested oil-producing region, despite the presence of the UN peacekeeping force in the area.

According to authorities in the area, some of the attacks were carried out by the Sudanese Misseriya tribe with the most recent one happening last month, whereby more than 40 civilians including women and children were killed by suspected Misseriya tribesmen in separate incidents in the area.

The Abyei Area, a territory of 10,546 km² on the border between Sudan and South Sudan, was accorded “special administrative status” by the 2004 Protocol on the Resolution of the Abyei Conflict in the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) that ended the second Sudanese civil war.

In 2011, the UN Security Council deployed its peacekeeping force in the disputed area after deadly clashes displaced thousands of the population.

Source: Sudan Tribune