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Athorbei, Tut Kew set to join SPLM political bureau: official

South Sudan’s presidential advisor on security, Tut Kew Gatluak and former Finance minister, Deng Athorbei are set to join the Political Bureau of the country’s governing party (SPLM), a senior party official said.

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Kuol Manyang Juuk (File photo)

The Political Bureau is the highest decision-making organ of the ruling party.

In an interview with Sudan Tribune on Wednesday, Kuol Manyang Juuk, said both Gatluak and Athorbei should be rewarded for the good work they did.

“Deng Athorbei has been a member of the SPLM for a very long time since the liberation and has been doing a very good work on the side of finance”, said Manyang.

He added, “Tut Gatluak had just come into the movement and has also been helpful. You know very well that Tut Gatluak was a member of the National Congress and declared his joining of the SPLM and for a long time he has been there since 2006 when the Juba Declaration was made and now is monitoring the implementation of the revitalized peace agreement,”

The senior SPLM official said preparations and consultations have been made in anticipation for directives from the SPLM party chairman, President Salva Kiir.

He said Kiir, as head of the party, has the prerogative to nominate people into a political bureau to fill vacancies resulting from either by loss of membership through death, resignation, switching political allegiance or dismissal owing to failure to comply with code of conduct.

Granting a membership at the highest political organ represent a shift in perception previously held against Tut by senior members of the governing party, including Manyang, who earlier accused President Kiir of ignoring advice from people like him.

Source: Sudan Tribune

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South Sudan’s Kiir, Ethiopian PM discuss regional issues

South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir has appreciated the Ethiopian government efforts in ensuring peace and stability prevails in the world’s youngest nation.

Kiir made the remarks after his delegation concluded a one-day official visit to the Horn of African nation on Thursday.

The Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and the South Sudanese leader mainly discussed way of strengthening bilateral ties and regional issues of mutual concern.

The two leaders, Ethiopian News Agency (ENA) reported, also discussed ways of boosting economic ties and joint infrastructure development to further facilitate economic ties.

The Ethiopian Prime Minister briefed the South Sudanese delegation on the current issues in the country, including positive economic performance of key sectors despite the many challenges that Ethiopia has been facing such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

Meanwhile President Kiir and his visiting delegation congratulated the Ethiopian Prime Minister and his government upon the recently concluded general elections.

He also commended the successful second filling of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) and affirmed that South Sudan continues to attach great importance to relations with Ethiopia.

The South Sudanese leader further appreciated Abiy’s government efforts to safeguard the constitutional order in Ethiopia, highlighting the importance of non-interference by external parties in Ethiopia’s current domestic challenges.

Kiir was accompanied by the Minister of Presidential Affairs, Barnaba Marial Benjamin, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Beatrice Khamisa Wani, Minister of Cabinet Affairs Martin Elia Lomoro and the Governor of Jonglei State, Denay Jock Chagor.

Source: Sudan Tribune

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Sudan, Saudi Arabia discuss military intelligence cooperation

Sudan’s army Chief of Staff and the head of Saudi military intelligence discussed cooperation between the two armies.

In a statement released on Thursday, the Sudanese Military Media said that Lt Gen Mohamed Osman al-Hussein received Maj Gen Hussam Abdullah Al-Damer on Thursday.

“The meeting discussed ways to enhance and develop cooperation for the sake of security and stability of the two countries and their armies,” reads the statement.

The Military Media said the meeting was attended by the head of the Sudanese military intelligence but did not develop on its outcome.

The two armies held ground, air and naval drills in past years but this is the first time they discuss joint military intelligence cooperation.

In recent years, Saudi officials expressed interest to develop bilateral military cooperation with the Red Sea countries and set up a regional body to fight piracy and ensure maritime security.

Source: Sudan Tribune

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Tunisia prepares new UN draft resolution on Ethiopian dam

Tunisia plans to propose again to the Security Council a new draft text calling on Sudan, Egypt and Ethiopia to resume talks to reach a binding agreement on the filling and operation of a huge hydropower dam on the Blue Nile.

On 7 July, the UN 15-member body held a meeting to discuss the stalled talks on Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) but declined to adopt a draft resolution circulated by Tunisia which was a non-permanent of the Security Council.

On Tuesday, Ethiopian State Minister for Foreign Affairs Redwan Hussein told ambassadors of the Nile river riparian countries in Addis Ababa that Tunisia is working to submit again its draft resolution on the GERD.

“The meeting noted that Tunisia’s ongoing preparation to submit its inappropriate request again to the Security Council would put all riparian countries in a difficult position that necessitates cooperation to reverse it,” said a statement released by the Ethiopian foreign ministry.

Tunisian draft resolution called for the resumption of the African Union brokered talks to finalize, within a period of six months, a binding agreement on the filling and operation of the GERD.

The draft resolution further stressed the would-be reached deal should ensure that the GERD would not inflict “significant harm on the water security of downstream states”.

The Ethiopian statement further described the draft resolution as “an unhelpful move” that would undermine the tripartite talks before adding that Ethiopia “should never accept it”.

Diplomats in Khartoum confirmed the second draft resolution but declined to provide further details about it.

Sudan says wanting a binding agreement on the exchange of water data to protect its facilities on the Blue Nile, while Egypt expressed fears that the giant dam would reduce the amount of water reaching the Nile River.

Last July, Addis Ababa said that Kenya, which is a non-permanent member of the Security Council, opposed the Tunisian draft resolution in support of Ethiopia.

Source: Sudan Tribune

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No succession plan for South Sudan’s Kiir, says spokesperson

South Sudan does not have a succession plan for President Salva Kiir, his spokesperson said, amid growing demands for the former to step down from power.

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South Sudan’s presidential spokesperson, Ateny Wek Ateny (AFP)

Ateny Wek Ateny has described the South Sudanese leader as a unifying factor without whom the young nation could descend into chaos.

But activists and political opponents portray Kiir as a big liability to the country, with many expressing frustration with his performance either through rebellion or call on him to step down voluntary to preserve the legacy of the ruling Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) and save the country for disintegrating.

However, despite the frustrations which have caused wars and ruined the economy, Ateny said Kiir is only man who should be allowed to fix the situation in the country.

He said those calling for Kiir’s exit do not know the political dispensation in the country.

“I tell you, if he decides now, as I speak with you, to step aside, what will ensue afterward will be chaos in the country because up to the moment I’m speaking to you, there’s no clear successor as to who should succeed President Salva Kiir,” Ateny told RBC TV.

The presidential aide a successor is selected through a democratic process, pointing to party processes that leads convening a nationwide convention at which members of the political party like the ruling Sudan People’s Liberation Movement would elect candidate of choice to compete at the national elections with candidates from other political organizations.

The members of the party, Ateny said, will go and vote for candidates of choice before sending them to the Liberation Council and Political Bureau will decide who should be the President.

The People’s Coalition for Civil Action (PCCA) is mobilizing the people to take to the streets on August 30 to call for end to President Salva Kiir Mayardit’s rule.

But Ateny equated call on Kiir and Machar to exit from power to calling for war, arguing the only political settlement that will bring peace to the country was the implementation of the 2018 revitalized peace agreement.

“So, when you talk about Riek Machar stepping aside or President Kiir stepping aside, then you are calling for war in the country. I’m not saying that the future of South Sudan is depending on them. They are human beings, and the power of nature can even come in,” said Ateny.

“But I’m talking about the current political arrangement. The current political arrangement is that the interim period should elapse comes 2023 and six months before the elapse of the transitional period, there will have to be an election in the country.

He said the people of South Sudan will after the end of the transitional period be allowed to choose their leaders. But anyone asking for change before that period is asking for South Sudan to kill itself, he’s calling for a suicide,” he argued.

Ateny wondered why the leaders of the People’s Coalition for Civil Action want to turn against the government after taking part in the implementation process of the peace agreement.

“Now I’m telling you, if this is what the civil action is for because they’re asking for the regime to be changed in the manner they ascribed to, I think they’re so elusive and have forgotten how South Sudan came to be what it is today,” he said.

Source: Sudan Tribune

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SPLM-IO official calls for elections after transition period

A senior South Sudanese armed opposition (SPLM-IO) official has appealed to all parties to the revitalised peace agreement to ensure sustainable peace and facilitate the operationalisation of the Transitional Security Arrangements.

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Manawa Peter Gatkuoth

“Because if we succeed, it will be easy for the parties to agreement to conduct elections at the end of transitional period,” Manawa Peter Gatkouth told Sudan Tribune on Thursday.

Gatkouth, who currently serves as Water and Irrigation minister in the coalition government, said taking power by force is not right for South Sudan at this time.

“We need to reconcile our self first and have a unified forces and a new constitution,” he said.

The senior SPLM-IO offficial said people in the young nation are suffering from lack of security, health services and poor education, economic crisis, poverty, corruption and high level of unemployment among the youth.

“All these challenges should be addressed by implementation of peace agreement. Without doing that’s, the government will continue without ability to deliver public services and lack of equality of opportunity in the country and absence of political rights and social justice will push the youth to the streets,” he stressed.

Gatkouth said the new government should fight corruption in the country.

“I hope that by the end of this agreement we will have an elected government that can put an end to the corruption that has taken over this country,” he explained.

Source: Sudan Tribune