Day: February 10, 2023

South Sudan has accused Kenya of trying to steal disputed territory along their border after communal clashes left at least eight people dead.

Parliamentarians are piling pressure on South Sudanese President Salva Kiir to recall the house from recess so they can discuss the simmering border dispute. Fighting occurred last weekend in the area, in and around the town of Nakodok, a few miles from an oil field on the Kenyan side of the border.

South Sudan says Kenyan troops tried to take control of Nakodok, an area of Kapoeta East County. Abdullah Angelo Lokeno, the county commissioner, said eight people were reported to have been killed from the Kenyan side. He said the situation was now calm, and that he had urged the government of South Sudan “to return the people of Kenya to their place so that citizens can get to rest. The government should come and control the situation.”

In 2009, Kenya and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement — the ruling party of what was then southern Sudan — signed an agreement to establish a temporary border control post at Nadapal to facilitate cross-border movement of people, goods and services.

The meeting was held in Nairobi with representatives from both sides, according to documents seen by VOA.

Juol Nhomngek, a South Sudanese lawmaker, said the agreement no longer holds, as it is not anchored in any legislation passed since South Sudan won independence from Sudan in 2011.

“Even if there were an agreement, it could not be given without the consent of the parliament that represents the people,” Nhomngek said.

On Thursday, Kiir dispatched his special adviser to Nairobi, a move seen as an effort to ease the tension between the two countries. The mission came a day after Kenya sent Cabinet Secretary Moses Kuria to Juba to deliver a message from President William Ruto.

South Sudan Foreign Affairs Minister Mayiik Ayii Deng said the government hopes to use diplomatic means to resolve the impasse.

Kiir is under immense pressure to reconvene the national assembly to discuss the matter. Bol Joseph Agau, a member of parliament and a member of the National Democratic Movement Party under the South Sudan Opposition Alliance (SSOA), said, “We need the parliament to be recalled by the head of the state. His excellency, the President Salva Kiir, needs to see that we have a big need for the parliament to be reopened.”

Some leaders said South Sudan would not cede even an inch of territory.

Dau Deng Dau, deputy minister for foreign affairs, said South Sudan “is called a country because of a defined territory and population, and we want to inform our youths to be calm, be patient, your country is addressing all these matters.”

The deputy foreign affairs minister said South Sudan had several other areas that, in his words, had been entered by neighboring countries, specifically Kenya and Uganda. He said South Sudan’s border commission was working with both countries to resolve the issues.

Source: Voice of America

The Central Committee of Sudanese Doctors (CCSD) reported the death of a 15-year-old protester at the hands of security forces during anti-junta demonstrations in Omdurman yesterday. Other protests that took place on Tuesday and Wednesday were also met with heavy violence by security forces.

The boy, called Yasin, died after a tear gas canister was launched at his head by the security forces during the November 9 Marches of the Millions.

The CCSD said in a press statement after the incident yesterday that the total number of protesters killed in the Sudanese capital since the military coup on October 25, 2021, had reached 124 martyrs.

International visit

On Wednesday, resistance committees in Khartoum organised a march to the Republican Palace in conjunction with the visit of six international envoys who support the Framework Agreement to Khartoum.

The convoys set off from the Bashdar meeting point in El Deyoum El Shargiya, south of the city centre. Security forces intercepted the crowd at El Gasr (Palace) Street, using tear gas and excessive violence.

Days of protest

On Tuesday, the Resistance Committees of Greater Omdurman organised a march to the parliament building along the Nile to demand justice and protest the impunity the security forces enjoy.

One of the participants in the demonstration told Radio Dabanga that they demand that official complaints be lodged about ‘crimes against humanity’ instead of ‘murder’ when protesters are killed.

The security forces fired large amounts of tear gas at the demonstrators near the parliament building.

The CCSD reported that 11 demonstrators were injured in the February 7 demonstrations in Omdurman due to the use of excessive violence.

Possible impunity for military leaders has been a very contentious issue in the ongoing negotiations on an agreement between Sudan’s military authorities, who took power in a coup, and the civilian coalition led by the mainstream Forces for Freedom and Change-Central Council (FFC-CC).

Source: Radio Dabanga

During his meeting with Russian Foreign Affairs Minister Sergey Lavrov in his office at the Republican Palace yesterday, Chairman of Sudan’s Sovereignty Council Lt Gen Abdelfattah El Burhan praised Russia’s supportive stances on Sudan in regional and international forums.

Lavrov arrived in Khartoum on Wednesday evening seeking to bolster economic ties between the two countries, especially in relation to infrastructure, the official Sudan News Agency (SUNA) reported.

The Russian visit coincided with the visit of six international special envoys from the United States of America, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Norway, France, and Germany to support the Framework Agreement.

El Burhan briefed the Russian FA Minister on the current political developments in the country the Framework Agreement and stressed the commitment of the military to exit politics.

The military leader praised Russia for its support of Sudan’s government and said that the relations between Khartoum and Moscow are based on cooperation and the exchange of common benefits between the two countries.

Putin appreciation

Lavrov conveyed the greetings of Russian President Vladimir Putin to the chairman of the Sovereignty Council. Putin apparently expressed his appreciation for Sudan’s positions in support of Russia in the meetings of the United Nations General Assembly that were recently held in New York.

He affirmed Russia’s support for the current political process in Sudan and stressed the importance of the Sudanese reaching a political solution to the crisis and a comprehensive agreement leading to the formation of a civilian government in the near future.

Vice-Chairman of the Sovereignty Council Gen Mohamed Hamdan ‘Hemeti’ Dagalo separately met Lavrov in his office in the Republican Palace. They discussed bilateral relations between the two countries and ways to enhance them in all fields in a way that serves common interests. They also discussed regional and international developments and the current political process in Sudan.

Russia in Sudan

Russia and Sudan’s military leaders have close ties and Hemeti has visited Russia before. Russia has been accused of looting Sudan’s gold reserves with cooperation from Sudan’s military leaders, who control much of the gold industry.

Especially the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and their commander, Hemeti, play an important role in the gold trade. Hemeti has family ties to the El Junaid Gold Company which controls some of Sudan’s most important mines.

Russian Wagner militias have been spotted being active in gold-rich areas in Sudan.

A Sudanese delegation headed by Hemeti arrived in Moscow on February 23 last year, a day before Russia invaded Ukraine. According to political analyst Magdi El Gizouli, the visit to Russia was arranged by the Russian Wagner mercenaries “in order to find a way out for their ally in Sudan, and to ensure his continuation in power so that they can continue to plunder the country’s resources”.

Source: Radio Dabanga