Day: February 9, 2023

The presidents of Kenya and Eritrea have wrapped up two days of talks by agreeing to remove visa requirements for their citizens as part of improving relations.

Kenya’s William Ruto and his Eritrean counterpart, Isaias Afwerki, also agreed to promote regional peace and stability even as Eritrea faces questions over alleged rights abuses in Ethiopia.

Afwerki said Eritrea would rejoin the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, or IGAD, an East African trade bloc.

“This is an obligation in the name of the people of the Horn region,” he said. “We have to assume responsibility and revitalize IGAD so that we can have a functional, real organization for the region is critical. Without that mechanism, ideas and goodwill will not be productive. We will have to create an institution that is functional and result-oriented so that we can say we have changed the face of the region.”

Eritrea suspended its IGAD membership in 2007 following a disagreement with Ethiopia over the presence of Ethiopian troops in Somalia. In 2018, Eritrea and Ethiopia reestablished diplomatic relations and agreed to end years of hostility.

Ruto said he expects Eritrea to support the region’s ongoing security operations and peace efforts.

“I look forward to working with you to ensure that we stabilize Somalia, we eliminate terrorism and we build a much more secure region,” Ruto said. “I also look forward to working with you in resolving the issues in Sudan and South Sudan, and working with our brothers in Ethiopia to build a better region for all our people and ensuring we make this region attractive for investment, trade and business.”

Eritrea, Ethiopia’s neighbor, has been accused of widespread human rights violations in two conflicts that erupted in November 2020 between Ethiopian federal government forces and the Tigray rebel group.

Last November, the government in Addis Ababa and representatives from the Tigray region in northern Ethiopia signed a peace agreement.

Tigray officials and residents say Eritrean troops have yet to leave the region, months after signing a peace agreement that requires Asmara to withdraw its forces.

Afwerki dismissed the allegations against his troops.

“Why are you bothered about the Eritrean troops who are there or not there? Come out and not come out,” he said. “Let’s assume the peace process in Ethiopia is going on without any obstacles. We would like to see the agreement signed in Pretoria and Nairobi implemented on the ground so that we can secure peace and stability in Ethiopia for the benefit not only of Ethiopians but the whole region.”

Eritrea has denied its troops fought in Ethiopia’s conflict in Tigray region, but rights groups allege the troops committed atrocities, including punishing families of accused draft dodgers.

Meanwhile, Human Rights Watch on Thursday called for sanctions against Eritrea for the government’s alleged role in rounding up people and their family members who refused to participate in mandatory military service.

Laetitia Bader, who heads the Horn of Africa operation at Human Rights Watch, said since September of last year, the Eritrean conscription campaign has been targeting draft evaders.

“They have resorted to new methods of repression against families of alleged draft evaders. So, we found that they were detaining relatives, including older people, but they were also evicting people from their homes,” she said. “So, this was not only the security forces but alongside local officials that keep a list of households through a coupon system which enables people to have access to subsidized goods, and they were going door-to-door trying to identify individuals who were missing.”

The U.S.-based rights organization is urging the international community to pressure Asmara to reform what Human Rights Watch calls Eritrea’s abusive national service system. The rights group says the system continues to drive Eritreans into exile.

Source: Voice of America

Special envoys from the European Union, Britain, France, Germany, Norway, and the U.S. have vowed to support Sudan’s transition to a civilian-led government.

The six envoys arrived in Khartoum Wednesday and met with Sudanese political leaders to show support for the country’s ongoing political transition. But they agreed to resume financial support to Sudan only once a civilian-led transitional government is formed.

The envoys made the pledge late Wednesday after meeting with the head of Sudan’s ruling Sovereign Council, General Abdul Fattah al-Burhan.

Speaking after the meeting, Peter Lord, the U.S. deputy assistant secretary for East Africa, Sudan and South Sudan, said the envoys are in Khartoum to acquaint themselves with the ongoing political process.

He said they believe that the December 5th political framework agreement is the best basis to form the next civilian-led government in Sudan, and the best basis to establish a constitutional arrangement for a transitional period that results in elections.

“It’s our strong hope that the parties will make a quick formation of a civilian led-government that is able to lead Sudan out of its current political, economic crises,” said Lord.

On December 5th, Sudanese civilian and military leaders signed a power-sharing deal that raised hopes of ending clashes between security forces and protesters that have persisted since the country’s October 2021 military coup.

Lord said it was their hope that the framework agreement will mark the first step toward forming a civilian-led government, which will prepare the nation for elections.

In early January, various Sudanese political forces that were signatories to the framework agreement launched discussions on army and security reforms, transitional justice, and dismantling elements of former President Omar al-Bashir’s government.

Khalid Omer Yousif, the official spokesperson for the ongoing political process, welcomed the visit of the six western envoys and says it is a good opportunity for them to learn about the challenges facing the process in Sudan.

He said the envoys expressed their understanding about challenges facing the political process in Sudan and their readiness to fully support all the actors to reach an urgent political solution in a short time.

The envoys’ visit coincided with an official visit by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to Khartoum Wednesday, as part of his African tour to strengthen economic and political ties.

Sudanese political analyst Haj Hamed said Russia was trying to send a signal to Western countries that it also has strong ties with Sudan and it has to protect its interests.

“They are the main suppliers of the army with weapons and they are already supporting Himetti [Dagalo] by training and other things,” he said. “They have their own companies that are buying gold. So they have to protect this economic interest by standing firm. The Russians are becoming more aggressive now within their foreign policy as they are now becoming more militarily aggressive in Ukraine.”

The state-owned SUNA news agency reported that Lavrov met Thursday morning with General al-Burhan and his deputy, Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo.

SUNA reported the meeting focused on Sudanese-Russian relations and ways to enhance them in all fields, as well as the political crisis in Sudan in light of the December framework agreement.

Source: Voice of America

Western special envoys on Thursday reiterated their support for the Framework Political Agreement and warned that they would promote accountability for those who seek to undermine the democratic transition in Sudan.

Special envoys and representatives from France, Germany, Norway, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, and the European Union were in Khartoum to courage Sudanese parties to quickly form a transitional government ending instability triggered by a military coup in October 2021.

In a joint statement issued at the end of their visit, the special envoy stated that the ongoing framework agreement process remains the “best basis” to form a civilian transitional government ending the coup and paving the way for a democratic transition in Sudan.

They further called on the Sudanese parties to exert the needed efforts to finalize negotiations and reach a final agreement quickly to form a civilian-led transitional government.

“The Special Envoys and representatives strongly discouraged parallel processes,” further stressed the statement.

The diplomats were obviously referring to the Egyptian-facilitated meeting that gathered some signatories of the Juba peace agreement and diverse political groups.

They proposed another political declaration providing to maintain the 2019 constitutional declaration of military-civilian partnership. Also, they recommend removing the mention of the Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC) from the declaration and keeping amendments that ensure their participation in power.

In a parallel move, the commander-in-chief of the Sudanese army and one of his generals escalated criticism of the Political Framework Agreement and threatened to break the deal, despite their significant role in the negotiations that led to its signing on December 5, 2022.

Aware that the new developments may lead to disrupting the ongoing process, the supporters of the framework acknowledged the need to include “additional groups” in to process.

Further, they called to “put Sudan’s national interest above narrow political ends”, as it become clear that some parties seek to keep power and maintain privileges without any consideration for the political and economic precariousness of the country.

“Recognizing the fragility of democratic transitions, we stand united in promoting accountability for those – including either military, armed group or civilian actors – who attempt to undermine or delay Sudan’s transition to democracy,” stressed the special envoys.

This is the first time that the western envoys publically declare they would impose sanctions on the obstructers of the democratic transition in Sudan.

Previously, Washington resisted calls by U.S. lawmakers to sanction the military leaders after the military coup of October 25, 2021.

Source: Sudan Tribune

A 14-year-old girl was gang-raped by a group of armed men in Kereinik in West Darfur on Tuesday. Sources report that the victim was confronted by four gunmen while she was returning from drawing water from a well close to her home in Dangei village in the area of Um Tajok on Tuesday afternoon.

The local source told Radio Dabanga that they took the girl with them at gunpoint to a nearby corral for livestock and proceeded “to take turns raping her until the morning”.

A search posse from Dangei village followed the tracks, raided the site, and were able to detain three of the alleged rapists. They took the victim to the clinic in Um Tajok, and the suspects to a nearby police station.

The source stated that “these days security breaches are increasing in an alarming manner, and all this does not stir the conscience of any of the officials who should protect the people”.

Central Darfur

In Central Darfur, Adam El Sayer (24) was shot dead, and another person was injured when a group of armed robbers fired at a passenger vehicle, four kilometres west of Nierteti on Tuesday afternoon.

A relative of the victim told Radio Dabanga that a complaint was filed at the Unified Police Department in Nierteti.

Policemen and members of a search posse managed to apprehend of the attackers.

Also in Central Darfur, a vehicle driver was injured in an armed robbery on the Zalingei-Abta road on Sunday.

North Darfur

In the area of Katur in Tawila in North Darfur, a cattle owner was killed on Tuesday.

Omda Adam Bosh told Radio Dabanga that gunmen shot the man dead and stole his cattle. He said that a military force moved from Tawila to the scene of the accident to pursue the perpetrators.

In a separate incident on Sunday, gunmen stole a herd of cows from the area south of Tawila. A resident of Tawila told Radio Dabanga that the area witnessed calm in the past days after the deployment of joint security forces, “but it seems that the situation has deteriorated again”.

The deployed Joint Force for the Protection of Civilians, who were welcomed after their arrival on Tuesday, have been tasked to protect the areas south of El Fasher, including Tabit, Abu Zareiga, Tawila, Wad Abakar, and Dar El Salam.

Many expressed that the joint forces, consisting of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and former rebel combatants in the areas, should take up a permanent posting in the region, as their presence is a necessity in ensuring the provision of security and the protection of civilians from violations and security breaches that occur frequently.

South Darfur

People living in Nyala, capital of South Darfur, also complained about an increase in security chaos and robberies inside the city.

Teacher El Hadi Mohamed told Radio Dabanga that he was subjected to an armed robbery at gunpoint while he was returning home on Sunday.

Trader Osman Bashir also reported that three gunmen riding stormed his shop and robbed him of his money at gunpoint.

In a meeting on Tuesday in Nyala, Commanders of the Darfur Security Forces for the Protection of Civilians discussed the deployment of the joint forces in South Darfur as part of the implementation of the Security Arrangements protocol of the Juba Peace Agreement.

Source: Radio Dabanga

The inter-Sudanese dialogue in Cairo concluded their conference on Tuesday, after agreeing to a full civilian government, as well as proposing a cabinet made up of non-partisan technocrats aligned with the revolution.

In a press statement issued on Tuesday by the conference participants, they renewed their adherence to the 2020 Constitutional Document, and proposed some contemporaneous amendments “in line with the current process”.

Alongside these decisions outlining the next steps for Sudan, the *85 participants in the Egypt-brokered conference also affirmed their commitment to implementing the Juba Peace Agreement (JPA), adding that they would address “the situation in eastern Sudan with an acceptable negotiating platform that involves relevant stakeholders”.

At the conclusion of the six-day Cairo dialogue conference initiated by the Egyptian government, the participants signed the Political Accordance Document, which is to be the governing document for the upcoming transitional period.

According to the final press statement, the Sudanese representatives agreed to form the National Democratic Forces Coordination “as an umbrella for all participants to carry out the task of communicating with all parties supporting the democratic transition”.

El Amin Daoud, a leading member of the Forces for Freedom and Change-Democratic Block (FFC-DB) alliance, told Radio Dabanga that the participants in the workshop agreed on mechanisms for selecting members of the executive and sovereignty councils.

The workshop called on the junta forces to distance themselves from all political and societal forces and not to interfere in political affairs.

The participants called for holding those responsible for crimes in Darfur, Blue Nile and South Kordofan “politically and legally accountable in accordance with the prevailing laws, and through traditional justice and transitional justice”, but did not refer to the extradition of wanted persons to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague.

The conference called on “all forces supporting democratic transition to meet and discuss the national issues in order to reach a consensus”.

Doubts in Darfur

Lawyer Adam Sharif criticised the text on justice for the victims of the civil wars in Darfur, Blue Nile and South Kordofan. He told Radio Dabanga that “violations of private and public rights cannot be pardoned by prevailing laws when these crimes include crimes against humanity and genocide”. He further stressed the necessity of handing over the wanted persons to the ICC.

Yagoub Furi, head of the Darfur Displaced and Refugee Camps Coordination, commented by saying that the amnesty mentioned by the participants of the Cairo Conference can only come after justice.

Furi stated that “any talk about amnesty is an attempt to release Al Bashir and his cronies”, adding that “amnesty is a special right for the families of the victims.”

The recent conference on the Juba Peace Agreement (JPA) in Khartoum, organised by the AU-IGAD-UNITAMS Trilateral Mechanism, witnessed the absence of prominent displaced community leaders, due to them not being invited.

Furi criticised “the disregard of the Darfur displaced” by the organisers of the Cairo dialogue, stating that “we have nothing to do with the outputs of the Cairo conference, as they do not concern the victims and the displaced”.

He called for the formation of “a real civilian government in order to implement transitional justice issues”.

Saleh Eisa, head of the Darfur Displaced and Refugee Camps Administration, also played down the importance of the conference, stating that “the displaced adhere to justice and the extradition of wanted persons to the ICC and other criminal courts before talking about reconciliation and amnesty”.

Source: Radio Dabanga