Day: June 24, 2022

NAIROBI, KENYA — Ukraine’s foreign minister says Kyiv is ready to export much-needed grain to Africa as soon as Russia lifts its Black Sea blockade. In a U.S.-arranged online briefing to journalists Thursday, he blamed Russia for the global food crisis affecting millions of Africans and called for more African support against Moscow.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dymtro Kuleba said his country and Africa need each other to overcome the global food crisis, which he blamed on Russia’s aggression.

“We want to export our agricultural products to you as badly as you want to receive them,” Kuleba said, “and there is only one reason why both ends of this supply chain – which is us and you – cannot benefit from these exports. It’s the Russian blockade of Ukrainian ports as a result of the Russian military aggression against Ukraine.”

Ukraine is a major supplier of wheat, corn and sunflower oil to African countries and, since Russia’s invasion began in February, Africa has faced food and cooking oil shortages that have left an estimated 400 million people on the continent food insecure.

While drought and conflict have also played a role in the food crisis, Kaleba focused on the actions of Russia. He said Russian forces have taken 400,000 tons of grain crops from Ukraine.

“Russians also steal agricultural equipment from Ukrainian farmers – tractors, combine harvesters, and other tools in Donetsk, Kherson, Kharkiv and Sumy regions of Ukraine,” he said.

“Russian forces have riddled Ukrainian fields with mines to prevent farmers from cultivating their crops for years. According to the recent preliminary estimate, about 13 percent of Ukrainian territory has been contaminated by Russian mines and other explosive remnants. This creates threats of a multiyear global food crisis.”

Fred Munene, an agronomist and farmer in Kenya, said Africa, for now, should fight to get the food stuck in Ukraine out and invest in its farm economy to be food secure.

“The short term is getting the food that is already produced,” Munene said. “In the long term, look for other suppliers or industries in Africa that will supply fertilizers and other farm inputs because that’s the biggest challenge.”

Kuleba said Africa can play a role in ending the conflict between the two neighbors.

“African states have a crucial role in this, and many already work together with us to achieve it,” Kuleba said. “African capitals matter and they do influence Russia’s position.”

However, African countries on the U.N. Security Council have been reluctant to pressure Russia based on historical ties to Moscow and current geopolitical concerns.

Hassan Khannenje, head of the Horn Institute for Strategic Studies, said that Africa’s say in the conflict is limited.

“They do not have the leverage outside diplomatic engagement and are trying to appeal to both parties to see the need to unblock the wheat supply which Africa relies on heavily on,” Khannenje said.

Senegalese President and African Union Chairperson Macky Sall is expected to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in coming days but no firm date has been set.

Source: Voice of America

The head of the Catholic church, Pope Francis has sent a representative to South Sudan ahead of Friday’s visit to Canada.

Father Nicholas Kiir, the vicar general of the Catholic archdiocese of Juba, said the Pope will be represented by Pietro Cardinal Parolin from July 5-7, the days when the Roman Catholic head was expected to be in Juba.

The 85-year-old religious leader had planned to visit South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) between July 2 and 7, 2022, but cancelled the trip after he was advised by his team of medical personnel.

“I have been directed by his Grace, Archbishop Stephen Ameyu M. Mulla, archbishop of Juba diocese to officially announce the visit his eminence Pietro Cardinal Parolin, the secretary-general of the state at the Vatican, scheduled to take place Tuesday 5th of July through 7th of July 2022. He comes as papal delegate to South Sudan in the days aforementioned,” partly reads the message sent to the 18 parishes within Juba archdiocese.

“He will celebrate mass on Thursday, July 7th at Dr. John Garang’s mausoleum at 10.00 am. I request this official announcement be ever put without fail to wider circulation and numerous chapels of the archdiocese of Juba”, it added.

In Canada, the Pope will reportedly meet different groups, including religious leaders and indigenous people and hold prayers in various places.

The Pontiff is scheduled to return to the Vatican, Italy on July 29.

Source: Sudan Tribune

South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir was on Thursday awarded for brokering as well as mediating peace in neigbouring Sudan.

The involvement of the South Sudanese leader culminated into a peace deal between Sudan government and some hold-out opposition groups.

President Kiir’s honorary degree in humanities was presented by the Ethiopia-based University Luzon and the International leadership Institute.

The ceremony was witnessed by the First Vice President, Riek Machar Teny, Vice Presidents, James Wani Igga, Hussein Abdelbagi Akol Taban Deng Gai and the national legislative assembly speaker, Jemma Nunu Kumba.

“Having etched in the annals of the history, an important milestone and significant achievement in the path of peace by brokering and mediating peace agreement for the republic of Sudan in its gradual transition to empowering independent institutions and democracy”, partly reads a statement the institutions issued in recognition of South Sudan’s president.

The honorary accolade was reportedly in recognition the South Sudanese leaders’ efforts in peace-building, good governance, development and uniting the people of South Sudan through transformational leadership, diplomatic relations and international understanding, among other issues.

“Having deeply demonstrated patriotism and commitment to his country and the people and zealously dedicated his life as a statesman and country leader who had humble beginnings and rose from the ranks in achieving international diplomatic relations and world peace,” it noted.

The South Sudanese leader was also hailed for inspiring the country’s youth.

For his part, Kiir thanked the University of Luzon and the International Leadership for bestowing him with the honorary doctorate on humanities.

“When my team and I decided to explore ways to make contribution complementing efforts which we felt would bring peace and restore stability in Sudan, we were not looking for any recognition like this, we were doing it because peace in Sudan is a peace in the region”, he explained.

Kiir dedicated the award to all the South Sudanese for their peace efforts.

In 2021, the South Sudanese leader received the African peace prize for fostering peace.

Source: Sudan Tribune

The National Consensus groups Friday urged the Saudi Ambassador in Sudan to stop his joint efforts with U.S. diplomats to hold separate talks between the country’s main rivals over the ongoing political crisis in Sudan.

The armed groups that backed the military coup have voiced their opposition to the separate discussions brokered by the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Africa and Saudi Ambassador in Khartoum between the military component and the Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC).

The joint initiative aimed to bring the two parties to agree on procedures and groups eligible to participate in the intra-Sudanese dialogue facilitated by the Trilateral Mechanism.

However, the partners of the military component denounced the meetings saying it aims to restore the power-sharing deal between the FFC and the military component agreed upon in the 2019 Constitution Declaration.

In a meeting held with Saudi Ambassador Ali bin Hassan Jaafar, the National Consensus called to support the facilitators of the African Union, IGAD and UNITAMS to end the political crisis in Sudan.

“We discussed the intra-Sudanese dialogue and agreed that it should be held under the auspice of the trilateral mechanism,” said the National Consensus Secretary-General Mubarak Ardol in statements after the meeting with Jaafar.

“The Saudi Ambassador stressed that they do not seek to establish a new platform or mediation but bridge the gaps (between the two rivals) without affecting the path of the dialogue process,” Ardol added.

The SLM leader Minni Minnawi on Thursday met with the ambassadors of the Troika countries upon their request to discuss his criticism of the joint Saudi – U.S.intitaive after a meeting with the African ambassadors to Sudan on June 21.

After the meeting, Minnawi said he told the three envoys that the National Consensus wants broad participation of the Sudanese political forces and not the FFC-military coalition.

He added they cannot trust the outcome of the general election with a government led by “small political groups”.

He warned that the armed groups should not be overlooked because the “non-neutralization of the weapons” means missing the necessary stability for a civilian government.

He went further to say there is a need for mutual recognition in Sudan.

“We have to keep in mind the separation of South Sudan,” he added.

Minnawi now has the largest armed group in Darfur. During the Juba peace process, he broke away from his allies in the Sudanese Revolutionary Front (SRF) because the other armed groups managed to marginalize his positions during the talks.

Previously, the SRF armed groups disagreed with the FFC groups as the political revolutionary groups declined their demand for a greater part of the power in the transitional period.

At the time, the FFC groups said that SLM-MM, JEM of Gibril Ibrahim, and GSLF of Tahir Hajar are not representative of the western Sudan region because the three groups emanate from one ethnic group, while they consider bringing the SLM of Abdel Wahid al-Nur who represents the largest ethnic group in Darfur.

Source: Sudan Tribune