Category: General

A warehouse of the UN World Food Programme (WFP) in El Fasher, capital of North Darfur, was subjected to looting by large crowds of people on Tuesday evening, despite attempts by police to prevent the theft. The looting was reportedly initiated by armed men using six four-wheel drive vehicles, after which members of the public joined the free-for-all. The UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan has condemned the theft of “food assistance meant for Sudan’s most vulnerable people”.

Witnesses from El Fasher told Radio Dabanga that the police shot into the air to stop the crowds from looting food and relief items in WFP warehouse No. 3, that faces the El Fasher Stock Exchange, east of the Children’s Hospital. Despite of the police action, the looting continued, and the crowds were seen carrying sacks of goods on carts and loaded onto draught animals.

In a press statement today, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan, Khardiata Lo N’Diaye condemns the looting. “The United Nations and humanitarian partners are extremely concerned about the reports from North Darfur that humanitarian assets came under attack. This was food assistance meant for Sudan’s most vulnerable people. Humanitarian assistance should never be a target,” said Lo N’Diaye.

The coordinator points out that “one in three people in Sudan needs humanitarian assistance. Such an attack severely impedes our ability to deliver to the people who need it the most. We urgently ask all parties to adhere to humanitarian principles and allow the safe delivery of life-saving assistance.”

According to initial reports, the WFP warehouse contained up to 1,900 tonnes of food, meant for hundreds of thousands of food-insecure people in that area. This comes amid unprecedented funding shortfalls for WFP, estimated at US$358 million. As of 29 December, the security situation had been restored, according to state authorities, the UN coordinator’s statement says.

“We are grateful to the local authorities for intervening and preventing the situation from worsening. However, we call upon the government of Sudan to step up efforts to protect and safeguard humanitarian premises and assets throughout Sudan” she concluded.

An estimated 14.3 million people in Sudan are need humanitarian assistance according to the 2022 Humanitarian Response Plan, of which 25 per cent require food security and livelihoods support.

Looting

As previously reported by Radio Dabanga, police in North Darfur say that they have arrested two suspects, after buildings and containers of equipment at the former African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID) logistical base north of the capital El Fasher, were looted on Friday and Saturday. The suspects were reportedly held with part of the loot in their possession.

The northern part of the UNAMID Super Camp was handed over to the North Darfur state authorities last week by Deputy Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General (DSRSG), and Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan, Khardiata Lo N’Diaye. During the handover, Lo N’Diaye underlined the importance of continued support to the UNAMID liquidation team, and highlighted the need for the camp and the facilities within it to be used for the benefit of the people of Darfur.

The ongoing insecurity in Darfur, often partly exacerbated by the vacuum created by the UNAMID drawdown, has meant that the practicalities of the handover of UNAMID sites and facilities have not always gone as planned.

On June 5, two people were killed and eight others sustained injuries when a former UNAMID site in Shangil Tobaya, Dar El Salaam locality, south of El Fasher in North Darfur was looted.

The site was handed over to the Government of Sudan on May 25. It was the last of 14 deep field sites handed over to the Sudanese government. At the time, the North Darfur government and the Sudanese government’s joint task force strongly reconfirmed their commitment to ensure civilian use of the former site.

Since the mission ended its mandate at the end of last year, various former UNAMID sites handed over to local authorities to be used as schools or training centres, have been looted. In February, a site in North Darfur’s Saraf Omra that was earmarked for use as a vocational training centre was looted and ‘levelled’ just weeks after it was handed over to the Sudanese government.

Source: Radio Dabanga

Four children were abducted and a woman critically injured in a road attack armed men in Pochalla South County of Greater Pibor Administrative Area (GPAA) on Tuesday.

The county commissioner, Peter Ogalla Ochudho, told Radio Tamazuj that the incident occurred when the group of women and their children were waylaid by the assailants in the outskirts of Akila Payam headquarters, Okadi, on Tuesday afternoon.

“The incident occurred at about 1 pm when the group of women was moving from Lurdook to Ollam to receive food supplements for their malnourished children were attacked by Murle criminals, “Ogalla said. “Four children were abducted and one woman stabbed with a knife.”

The county commissioner pointed out that local youths are still pursuing the attackers in a bid to recover the abductees.

Amati Ochan, the county police inspector condemned the incident and said policemen and local youths have been dispatched to Okadi to help recover the abducted children.

“They were going to get food for their children and there were no armed men with them,” Ochan said. “The youth are following them and I have also sent the police to recover the children.”

For his part, Jay Adingora Alual, the GPAA information minister, also condemned the incident and he said that the local authorities have been directed to hunt down the abductors.

‘The incident occurred at Okadi. Those criminals who are suspected to be from Murle took four children and beat up women,” Minister Alual said. “The chief administrator has directed the local authorities to search for the criminals. But the problem is that of a lack of enough security forces.”

Source: Radio Tamazuj

The police have said dropped nominated Morobo woman member of parliament, Animu Afekuru Risasi, is being held by their directorate of immigration on charges of illegally holding a South Sudanese nationality identity card and a diplomatic passport.

The deputy spokesperson of the South Sudan National Police Service (SSNPS), Brigadier General James Dak Karlo, told Radio Tamazuj Wednesday that they were the ones holding Afekuru and not the National Security Service as rumored.

“The lady is in the custody of immigration and passports, not in the National Security. She is going to be handed over to the Ugandan government,” Gen. Dak said. “She is detained because they are taking her statement. She was found in possession of illegal South Sudanese nationality and a diplomatic passport. She was even dropped as a member of parliament because it was discovered that she was not a South Sudanese national. Her membership was scrapped off.”

He added: “The new development is that she was found with a South Sudanese national identity card because is a non-South Sudanese and then diplomatic passports are issued to the diplomatic corps through the ministries of interior and foreign affairs. So she will have to answer how she obtained them.”

On Afekuru not being presented in court if she has a case to answer, Gen. Dak admitted that it was indeed an error but said the delay was because the South Sudan government was trying to coordinate with their Ugandan counterparts.

Phillip Anyang, an advocate of the High Court in Juba who is representing Afekuru said he met his client this morning in the presence of the director-general of immigration.

“This morning I managed to see Animu (Afekuru) in front of the director-general of immigration. I had a lengthy chat with her on when, why, and how she was picked,” Advocate Anyang explained. “She told me that she was picked on 22 December at Phenicia by National Security Service and she was taken to the central division facility and later transferred to immigration where she was kept for 3 days.”

He said his client was being escorted to Nimule for unknown reasons because there was no instrument of arrest or document or order provided.

“She was taken to Nimule where she was kept the whole night and in the morning the South Sudan security operatives linked up with the police in Nimule and tried to hand over to the Ugandan authorities,” Anyang narrated. “The Ugandans refused to take those directives and said Animu is a South Sudanese and all the records in their system and the South Sudan system showed as such.”

He added: “Secondly, there was no clear documentation showing that she was being deported and reasons for deportation. Nothing was done legally.” So, Animu was brought back on 27 December and she is undergoing medication now. She is being held on no clear grounds.”

Anyang said that the immigration director-general averred that she is allegedly being held because she is being called a Ugandan.

“We have asked if there is any case opened against her, but no such thing has come up. The director-general confirmed to me that they are in contact with the ministry of foreign affairs and the government of Uganda,” Anyang said. “I asked if she can be visited by family and if she can be released on bail and who is the complainant against her. I presented all the documents to the immigration director-general this morning so I will follow up this afternoon and see if they will grant her bail.”

Advocate Anyang revealed that there is a pending case in court by his client against the immigration department to stop harassing her which was filed in 2019 and the court summoned the immigration department but they did not show up.

“We also informed the justice ministry to notify the immigration that there is a case against them but none of them showed up. The case has been pending in court awaiting disposal,” Anyang said. “This issue of Animu has been coming up often. We have asked the government that whoever has a case against her and alleges that she is a foreigner, a Ugandan, come forward and tell us and prove it in the courts of law and we close the matter. No one is coming forward or taking charge of the matter and it is becoming political. We do not know who is responsible for all this mess.”

He asked the government to immediately release his client and take her to court if there is a case against her.

“Animu’s or any other citizens’ rights should not be abused but protected. The constitution is very clear about rights so there is no reason to keep her without due process of the law. It is the eighth day she is in detention today,” Anyang said.

Source: Radio Tamazuj

Local authorities in Duk County of Jonglei State said two herdsmen were killed and 23 head of cattle stolen during a raid by armed men on December 26.

John Chatim, the Duk County commissioner, told Radio Tamazuj said the herdsmen were ambushed by between while on their way to Pajut town.

“On December 26, some of our civilians moving from Duk Padiet Payam to Patuet area of Pajut town were waylaid by assailants and 23 cows were raided,” Commissioner Chatim said. “Those civilians tried to defend themselves but they were overpowered.”

He said the attack was carried out by cattle raiders suspected to have come from Greater Pibor Administrative Area (GPAA).

Joseph Mayen Akoon, the state police commissioner, condemned the incident as unfortunate and said that they were not able to intervene because it occurred in the bush. He urged the locals to be cautious as they move to and fro during the festive season.

For his part, Lokali Amae Bullen, the GPAA chief administrator, also condemned the incident and said that he would work with his Jonglei State counterparts to crack down on criminals in the region.

Source: Radio Tamazuj

Civil servants in Malakal town in Upper Nile State on Tuesday morning peacefully demonstrated in front of the General Secretariat of the state government over non-payment of six months’ salary arrears and the new amendments to the salary structure.

Several of the state government workers told Radio Tamazuj that they were demonstrating due to the non-disbursement of salary arrears since August and the nonpayment of civil service allowances.

An employee of the state education ministry, who only identified himself as Zakaria, said they were asking the government to pay salary arrears from August and to include civil service allowances in the salaries.

“The salary for the month of July was paid and the government promised to pay the month of August,” He said. “We did not ask for wages for the months of August, September, October, November, and December.”

Another state worker, Santino said, “We are asking the government for six months salary arrears, so we organized a peaceful demonstration in front of the government secretariat so that they can respond to the worker’s demands.”

For his part, Chol Atem, the police official, confirmed that the employees went out in peaceful demonstrations demanding financial dues from work allowances, saying: “Yes, there was a demonstration that took place and they were addressed by the authorities and the demonstration was ended.”

For his part, state finance minister Val Deng said what happened was a misunderstanding and that they reached a consensus with the workers’ committee regarding the payment of financial benefits and salary arrears.

“The demonstrators’ committee presented the workers’ demands, including bonuses and allowances, and we reached an understanding with them that the state will pay these benefits from local revenues, and this needs time,” Minister Deng said.

Source: Radio Tamazuj

The SPLA-IO component loyal to Vice President Dr. Riek Machar has admitted that the breakaway faction commanded by Gen. Simon Gatwich Dual took over one of their bases after heavy fighting in the northern part of northern Upper Nile State on 27 December.

Dr. Machar’s SPLA-IO military spokesperson, Col. Lam Paul Gabriel, told Radio Tamazuj on Tuesday night that the Kit Gwang forces of Gen. Gatwich took over their Amoud base on Boxing Day after they tactically withdrew from the area.

“On 26 December, clashes occurred between ours and their forces on patrol and they were repulsed back to their base in Magenis,” Col. Lam explained. “They imagined that we had attacked them and they attacked our base in Amoud on 27 December and took it over because our forces had tactically withdrawn from there because we are at peace and it is a festive season.”

He added: “We did not think there would be heavy fighting and did not prepare for it so we withdrew outside of Amoud. So, up to now, the Kit Gwang forces are in Amoud.”

Asked who started the fighting, Col. Lam blamed the Kit Gwang SPLA-IO faction for sparking the clashes.

“They are the ones who attacked us and took over our base in Amoud. During the fighting they deployed an armored vehicle which killed many people and forced us to withdraw,” Lam said. “Again, yesterday (Tuesday) at around 1 pm, they left Amoud and wanted to attack the place we withdrew to but we repulsed them back to Amoud.”

He said there has not been any fighting since Tuesday because Dr. Machar ordered his forces not to go attack the breakaway SPLA-IO faction.

“We are not attacking. Our Commander-in-Chief, Dr. Riek Machar ordered us not to attack Gatwich Dual’s forces again because this is a time of peace and if there is an issue it should be resolved using dialogue,” Col. Lam said. “South Sudanese should not kill each other because this is a time of peace. Our forces are observing the orders not to engage in combat. So, we are now telling the Kit Gwang group that the people now want peace and not war. Whatever they want can be discussed and does not require war. War takes us backward.”

On the number of soldiers they lost, he said the fighting was heavy and many people died for nothing.

“It was very heavy fighting and they lost a lot and we also lost. On our side, we might have lost 10 soldiers but they lost more I am sure,” Col. Lam said. “What have they benefited from the fighting? Now the families of the dead soldiers will suffer.”

Source: Radio Tamazuj