Day: September 2, 2022

South Sudan’s First Vice President, Riek Machar has commended the chairman of Sudan’s Sovereign Council, Gen Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan for breaking the deadlock on sharing the unified command structure.

He was speaking at Tuesday’s graduation of 21,000 members of the necessary unified forces to form a unified national army, police and other security forces.

“I also would like to thank H.E Abdel Fattah Al Burhan the President of Sudan Transitional Sovereign Council, and Chair of IGAD [Intergovernmental Authority on Development] for his support and also for breaking deadlocks when we got stuck in the implementation process of this agreement,” explained Machar.

“We also give thanks to President Al Burhan and his teams, special thanks for allowing food supplies from his country by land and river to reach the training centers despite the restrictions due to the war in Ukraine”, he added.

Of the 21,973 unified forces graduated, 3,308 personnel will be dedicated to providing protection senior government officials; 4,366 into the unified South Sudan National Police Service; 6,315 will be integrated into the unified National Security Service; 1,120 into a unified National Prison Service; 3,575 into the unified National Wildlife Service and 3,289 into unified National Civil Defense Service.

The opposition leader also thanked Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni for attending the passing out of the unified force, saying he was one of the guarantors who played a key role in the extension of the pre-transitional period in 2020 after the parties were unable to meet the deadline to training the necessary united force.

“Allow me also to thank President Museveni for coming and for his support, transitional security arrangements were the most important agenda for President Museveni. He initiated the creation of an extra security mechanism and called it the security supervision mechanism. Mr. President, you are welcome”, he said.

Machar also lauded IGAD, the bloc that mediated and brokered the peace deal.

“I would also like to thank all IGAD member states that supported and continued their support for the implementation of this agreement. I would like to thank the implementation mechanisms that have worked for years to ensure this agreement is implemented, and this includes the CTSAAM, R-JMEC the IGAD special envoy office for the work they did for this day to happen. I also would like to thank the international community TROIKA, IGAD, IGAD partners’ forums, EU, and China for their support and contributions at this juncture,” he stressed.

The First Vice President described the graduation of phase one of the unified forces within the transitional security arrangement, as the backbone of the peace deal.

Sudan and Uganda were the guarantors of the 2015 peace deal revitalized in 2018.

The two countries ensured the parties to the agreement cooperate to implement the deal, encouraging President Kiir and Machar, in particular to work together.

The 2018 revitalised peace deal requires the parties to train and graduate a unified force of 83,000 personnel to take charge of security during the transitional period.

Source: Sudan Tribune

JUBA– South Sudan’s peace monitors, yesterday, unanimously voted to extend the Transitional Government by two years.

Charles Tai Gituai, the interim chairperson of the Revitalised Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (R-JMEC), said, two-thirds of the voting members in the commission, approved the extension, according to the procedures set out in the Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan.

“Forty-three members have the voting right, 37 out of 42 members present today, voted in favour, five did not vote, while one was absent,” Tai said in Juba, the capital of South Sudan, during an extraordinary meeting of the R-JMEC.

Among members who did not vote included the U.S., UK and Norway, who requested a three-month consultation among the parties and guarantors to the agreement before any extension.

Tai revealed that the extension of the government by 24 months will now require ratification by the Reconstituted Transitional National Legislative Assembly, according to the constitutional amendment procedures set out in the Transitional Constitution of South Sudan.

He urged parties to the agreement to pursue dialogue and join hands, to enhance the rebuilding of trust and confidence in the peace process, by taking concrete steps to address all the key impediments to progress in the implementation of the peace agreement.

Parties to the conflict in South Sudan, last month, extended the government by two years from Feb, 2023 to Feb, 2025, to allow the implementation of outstanding issues to be resolved, before conducting the election, at the end of the transitional period.

South Sudan descended into violence in Dec, 2013, following a political dispute between President Salva Kiir and his then Deputy, Riek Machar, leading to the death and displacement of millions of civilians in the world’s youngest republic.

Statistics from the UN indicate that, more than two million people have been displaced by the conflict, that subsided amid peace mediation by the international community that culminated in the establishment of a transitional government of national unity in Feb, 2020.

Source: NAM NEWS NETWORK

Editor’s note: Here is a fast take on what the international community has been up to this past week, as seen from the United Nations perch.

IAEA team visits Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant

IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi led a team of inspectors to Ukraine this week on a support and assistance mission. He met in Kyiv with President Volodoymr Zelenskyy on Tuesday and then traveled through Ukrainian-held territory to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which is in a Russian-controlled area. Grossi has been appealing to the parties for months to let his team inspect the plant to avert a potential nuclear accident. He spoke to reporters late Friday upon his return to Vienna about his mission.

UN appeals for $160m for victims of Pakistan’s ‘monsoon on steroids’

The United Nations appealed Tuesday for $160 million to assist 5.2 million people impacted by monsoon rains in Pakistan. By Friday, U.N. agencies had provided food aid to 300,000 people and clean water to 55,000 people. Pakistani officials say the climate-driven storms have badly impacted more than 33 million people and killed more than a thousand others since the seasonal rainfall began in June. More than 700,000 livestock have also been lost. The World Meteorological Organization forecasts the heavy rains are set to continue. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will travel to flood impacted areas next week.

UN rights chief releases long-awaited report on Xinjiang

Moments before her term expired at midnight on Wednesday, U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet released a long-awaited report that found the treatment of minorities in China’s Xinjiang province may constitute crimes against humanity. China dismissed the findings as “smears and slanders.”

Hunger stalks millions of Afghans

U.N. humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths said Monday that 6 million Afghans are on the brink of famine, with winter around the corner and humanitarian appeals dramatically underfunded. In all, 24 million people need some kind of humanitarian assistance, and almost 19 million of them face acute hunger. An estimated 3 million children are acutely malnourished. Funds are needed quickly so aid agencies can purchase and pre-position supplies before winter sets in.

In brief

— UNESCO said Thursday that 244 million children and youth ages 6 to 18 are still out of school across the world as the new school year begins in many places. Sub-Saharan Africa has the most young people out of school – 98 million, while South and Central Asia has 85 million. UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay said this should be a reminder of that “deep inequalities persist in access to education.”

— The U.N. peacekeeping mission in Mali, MINUSMA, said Wednesday that it will transport 1.5 tons of essential medicines each week to Gao in the northeast. Regional authorities requested MINUSMA’s help to ease a pharmaceutical shortage due to a blockade of the main supply route by terrorist groups since May. Peacekeepers from Togo and Jordan are also helping to provide medical care for local communities in Douentza town and Tin Hama.

— The Food and Agriculture Organization said Friday that global food commodity prices dipped for a fifth month in a row. The FAO Food Price Index averaged 138.0 points in August, down 1.9% from July, although remaining 7.9% above its value a year before. The cereal price index decreased by 1.4% from the previous month, driven by a 5.1% decline in international wheat prices attributed to improved production prospects in North America and Russia, as well as the resumption of exports from the Black Sea ports in Ukraine.

Good news

The first ship carrying Ukrainian wheat for the World Food Program under the Black Sea Grain Initiative arrived in Djibouti on Tuesday with 23,000 metric tons of grain. Its final destination will be Ethiopia, where millions face severe hunger. A second WFP-chartered vessel departed Ukraine on Tuesday with 37,000 metric tons of wheat grain that will be milled into flour in Turkey and then delivered to Yemen where 17 million people are facing acute hunger. WFP says the grain will provide a 50-kilogram bag of wheat flour to nearly 4 million Yemenis for one month. Before Russia’s February 24 invasion, Ukraine was WFP’s top provider of food items. WFP’s Deputy Emergency Coordinator in Ukraine Marianne Ward says the agency purchased 880,000 metric tons of commodities there last year.

What we are watching next week

The Security Council will hold two meetings on Ukraine. On Tuesday, at Russia’s request, IAEA chief Rafael Mariano Grossi will brief remotely on his mission to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. The secretary-general will also address the meeting. On Wednesday, council members will meet again at the request of Albania and the United States to discuss the issue of forced displacement of Ukrainians.

Learn more about the forcible displacement of Ukrainians in this VOA Exclusive:

Source: Voice of America

The first U.S. ambassador to Sudan in 25 years has vowed to support the country’s transition to civilian rule. John Godfrey spoke while presenting his credentials Thursday to Sudan’s military-led government.

Godfrey presented his credential documents as the new U.S. ambassador to Sudan in a ceremony at Sudan’s presidential palace.

The document was presented to Sudan’s military leader, Abdul Fattah Al-Burhan, who led the coup against the civilian government in October last year.

Al-Burhan, the chairman of Sudan’s Transitional Sovereignty Council, welcomed the return of a U.S. ambassador to Sudan after a 25-year absence.

He stressed the importance of developing relations between Khartoum and Washington and said he hoped Godfrey’s appointment represents a new impetus for the two countries’ relationship.

Speaking to reporters in Arabic after the diplomatic ceremony, Godfrey expressed the commitment of the U.S. to build new relations with Sudan.

In Arabic, Godfrey said, “I am so happy to be the new ambassador of the United States in Sudan after more than 25 years. I am happy to have this opportunity to work in Sudan and get to understand its people and their cultures more closely.”

Godfrey was named by the White House as the new ambassador to Sudan in early January. The U.S. Congress approved his appointment in July, and he arrived in Khartoum last week to assume his post.

Ties between the United States and Sudan were severely strained under the three-decade rule of ousted President Omar al-Bashir, with Washington slapping crippling economic sanctions on Khartoum.

The U.S. government blacklisted Sudan in 1993 as a state sponsor of terrorism because the Bashir administration hosted al-Qaida founder Osama bin Laden, who resided in the country between 1992 and 1996.

The ambassador’s arrival comes as Sudan reels from deepening unrest and a sinking economy.

Godfrey said the U.S government hopes to see an inclusive civilian-led government restored in Sudan to complete the remaining transitional period.

“We expect to see the establishment of a new government led by civilians in Sudan within a comprehensive dialogue that supports all Sudanese political parties,” he said, “including the democratic supporting forces.”

Godfrey previously worked as the acting special envoy to the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS.

He also formerly worked as the acting deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Source: Voice of America

The White House has condemned last week’s resumption of conflict that threatens to fuel famine and destabilize the Horn of Africa, following the collapse of the five-month cease-fire in northern Ethiopia’s Tigray region.

“We condemn Eritrea’s reentry into the conflict, the continuing TPLF offensive outside of Tigray and the Ethiopian government’s airstrikes,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters Friday.

She urged the parties to cease hostilities. “There is no military solution to the conflict.”

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s federal government and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) have blamed each other for the latest round of violence. The TPLF is an armed political movement that led the country as part of a ruling coalition for more than 20 years but has now been designated as a terrorist organization by Addis Ababa.

Jean-Pierre said U.S. Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa Mike Hammer is set to travel to Ethiopia this weekend to urge parties to engage in negotiations to end the nearly two-year-old conflict. This would be Hammer’s second visit in a month — he was there August 2 with his European Union counterpart, Annette Weber, to facilitate the beginning of talks.

Last week, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned that a return to active conflict “would result in widespread suffering, human rights abuses, and further economic hardships.”

Nearly half a million Ethiopians may have died from violence and famine and more than 1.6 million people have been displaced by this conflict, according to researchers at the University of Ghent.

US role

Washington can provide incentives for negotiations as it is the leading source of development assistance to Ethiopia and a key source of future investment that will be critical for rebuilding after the conflict, said Joseph Siegle, director of research at the Africa Center for Strategic Studies, National Defense University.

“The United States can also reaffirm its commitment to accelerating efforts to help address the acute humanitarian crisis generated by the conflict,” Siegle told VOA. “It will also be important to reinforce to both sides that this conflict revolves around a political dispute — how Tigray can be reintegrated as part of a federal Ethiopia while retaining meaningful autonomy.”

Siegle said Washington can also clearly convey to regional actors, including Sudan, Egypt and the Gulf states, the need to refrain from amplifying the conflict. “If the Tigray conflict were to be regionalized, it would become even more difficult to resolve and could become more destabilizing for the region,” he said.

It is unclear how much pressure the Biden administration can wield to bring parties to the table. Last year, the administration suspended Addis Ababa from the tariff-free African Growth and Opportunity Act, which provides tariff-free access to the U.S. market for African manufacturers.

Source: Voice of America

Sudanese authorities said yesterday that the death toll from ongoing torrential rains and flooding has risen to at least 104, with a further 96 injured, figures that are likely to rise in the coming days. Two recent flooding-related deaths were reported yesterday in Kereinik, West Darfur, following flash flooding in Mornei.

According to a report from Sudan’s National Civil Defence Council, at least 72 of these 104 deaths have resulted from drowning, 23 from collapsing houses, and five from lightning strikes.

So far, a total of 25,591 homes have been completely destroyed while some 40,657 homes have partially collapsed, the report found. At least 85 shops, seven health centres and 16,017 acres of land have been affected by this year’s floods.

In its latest update on Monday, the United Nations Office for Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Sudan said the number of people affected by flooding across the whole of Sudan stands at about 226,200.

In its latest update, OCHA said the number of people affected by flooding across the whole of Sudan stands at about 264,200. The states with the highest number of people impacted by the flooding are South Darfur, Central Darfur, Kassala, El Gedaref, and White Nile state.

Flooding kills two in Kereinik

West Darfur authorities yesterday said days of flooding and torrential rain in Mornei, in Kereinik locality, killed two people and injured a further nine. The exact circumstances of the deaths were not disclosed.

The flooding in West Darfur, the authorities reported, has damaged some 5,262 homes with 3,874 of these houses completely destroyed. El Tijani El Tahir, Deputy Wali (governor) of West Darfur, said in a press statement during his visit to the Mornei area said those affected are without shelter and many are living in schools and other public facilities.

He described the situation as tragic and called on the central government and humanitarian organizations to urgently intervene to provide medicine, tarpaulins, mosquito nets and food.

In 2022, more than 460,000 people could be affected by the floods, according to the 2022 Sudan Emergency Response Plan (ERP). In 2021, about 314,500 people were affected across Sudan, while between 2017 and 2021 on average 388,600 people were affected annually.

Other regions affected

Other states affected by the ongoing torrential rain and flooding include El Gezira where a total of 1,082 homes have been damaged. In River Nile state, days of heavy rainfall have led to the collapse of two houses and the partial collapse of an additional 17. Areas of the state most affected include Ed Damer and areas south of Atbara.

In Yasin, East Darfur, recent flooding has caused another 126 houses to collapse and damaged 5,000 acres of agricultural land.

According to the IGAD Climate Prediction and Applications Centre (ICPAC) forecast for August 31 to September 6 further heavy rainfall (above 200 mm) is expected to hit several locations in southern and eastern Sudan.

The rainy season in Sudan usually starts in June and lasts up to September, with the peak of rains and flooding observed between August and September. For more information on floods and updated figures of people affected and areas, as well as rainfall forecast and water levels at water stations on the Nile River, please see the OCHA 2022 Floods Dashboard.

Source: Radio Dabanga