Category: General

South Sudan’s president Salva Kiir has declined a request to sack Humanitarian Affairs minister, Peter Mayen Majongdit, preferring dialogue among aggrieved parties.

The call comes after members of Other Political Parties (OPP) and civil society groups, citing various reasons, asked the president to replace Mayen.

A presidential source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Sudan Tribune that the South Sudanese leader does not want to be seen as interfering in affairs of other political parties, preferring dialogue as the first option to settling political differences.

“Some of the issues for which they are asking his excellency the president to replace the minister of humanitarian affairs and disaster management are things which could be resolved through dialogue and making compromise either within the party or as the family, depending on the side feeling affected by the conduct of the source of their complaint”, he disclosed on Wednesday.

Recently, South Sudanese women activists petitioned Kiir to dismiss Mayen for repeated domestic violence against his wife whom he allegedly beat up and stabbed.

The incident reportedly took place in the minister’s hometown in Kuajok, Warrap State, with political critics using it as an advantage to draw the attention of the president and other stakeholders to advocate for his removal from the government.

Deng Ayok Deng, the interim chairperson of the People Liberal Party (PLP), said members of the party dismissed Mayen from the PLP and have therefore decided to ask for his dismissal and replacement in the position he currently holds in cabinet.

“We are here as a party. It has come to our knowledge that peter Mayen Majongdit who is the minister of humanitarian affairs representing OPP has become a liability to the integrity and the image of PLP, therefore on August 2, the membership of Peter Mayen as interim chairman is withdrawn for several reasons among them is a violation of the constitution and the guiding prince of PLP,” he told reporters in Juba.

Meanwhile Mayen described allegations against him as “unfounded” and “witch hunt”.

He commended the president for ignoring voices of those calling for his replacement.

“His excellency the president is the man of peace. Those calling to remove me do not know how I was appointed to the position. I negotiated the agreement and was one of the signatories”, Mayen stated.

In September 2018, South Sudanese arch-foes signed a peace agreement, ending a devastating civil war that killed tens of thousands of people and displaced millions.

Source: Sudan Tribune

A leading South Sudanese opposition politician says is practically “unrealistic” for the country’s foreign policy to be fixed in 300 days as suggested by newly appointed Foreign Affairs minister, Mayiik Ayii Deng.

Lam Akol, who heads the National Democratic Movement (NDM), wondered how the minister seeks to rebrand foreign policies without involving other institutions.

“Someone should remind the new minister some basics of foreign policy and international relations. First, in his speech to the staff of the Ministry he promised “rebranding our domestic image as an extension of our foreign policy agenda! It is the other way around, Mr. Minister. MFA [Ministry of foreign Affairs] doesn’t “rebrand” domestic policy. It is the mandate of the government to design the government’s programme or policy including foreign policy which is a reflection (say, extension) of the domestic policy,” he explained.

The outspoken opposition politician said the mandate of the Foreign Affairs ministry, like other ministries, is to formulate policies to be implemented once adopted.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will not be implementing policies of its own, but those approved by the cabinet. Secondly, however brilliant MFA can be in advancing foreign policy perspectives of the government in interacting with the club of nations, nothing can be achieved if the domestic utterances and actions of the government continue to be objectionable”, he stated.

Akol specifically cited the respect for human rights, all kinds of freedoms, including speech, association, movement as well as to assemble as necessary to delink and help in lifting sanction imposed on government by various international institutions.

“Honest implementation of the peace agreement, etc, are central in the consideration of many influential states in determining how to relate to the government of South Sudan. If these aspects continue to send out negative news and signals, there is nothing the MFA can do to reverse the situation. Another example is the series of sanctions which had been imposed by the UNSC on government officials and the arms embargo on the government itself,” stressed Akol.

He added, “The lifting of these sanctions and embargo is hinged on certain policy issues as benchmarks that could lead to the lifting. They have been specified in relevant UNSC resolutions. None of these benchmarks is the work of the MFA alone”.

Last week, President Salva Kiir fired Foreign Affairs minister, Beatrice Khamisa and replaced her with Deng who served as Presidential Affairs minister till June 2020.

Speaking during his acceptance speech of the new assignment on Friday last week, Deng said guidance of the president would help overcome challenges facing his ministry.

“I acknowledge the appointment and appreciate your trust bestowed upon me as a Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. It’s quite a challenging task amidst a number of pressing issues. I promise with your guidance, we will win over,” said Deng in his statement seen by the Sudan Tribune.

He, however, said despite the signing of the revitalized peace deal, there is need to improve relations with the international community and deal with the “geopolitics of liberal international order” which remains a big challenge for the coalition government.

Source: Sudan Tribune

The slow pace of implementation of the Revitalized Agreement on Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS], including measures related to the transitional security arrangements, is an obstacle to consolidating peace, the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Tuesday.

His statement is contained in a report on South Sudan presented to the UN Security Council.

Guterres, specifically cited the lack of overall progress in achieving agreed benchmarks, saying it has contributed to fractures within SPLM/A-IO and subsequent clashes between warring factions.

Last month, clashes occurred in Magenis in the Upper Nile region, between forces loyal to First Vice President Riek Machar and those backing the SPLM/A-IO former chief of general staff, First Lieutenant General Simon Gatwech Dual.

The clashes erupted just days after rival military leaders of the SPLM/A-IO announced that Machar had been ousted as head of his party and its armed forces and replaced with Dual.

“I call upon the factions involved to resolve their differences through dialogue and to avoid actions that would be detrimental to the peace process. I also request the parties to refrain from encouraging defections and supporting defectors,” said Guterres.

“South Sudan cannot risk eroding the peace gains achieved thus far,” he added.

South Sudan gained independence from Sudan in 2011 but descended into fighting two years later when forces loyal to President Salva Kiir and to Machar clashed in the capital, Juba.

The civil war, which ended with a peace deal signed in September 2018, killed over 400,000 people and displaced more than 2 million people.

The Secretary-General commended the recent decision of the presidency to immediately unify the command of the forces and graduate the Necessary Unified Forces.

“This decision, which is now behind schedule, should be fully and promptly implemented, and I confirm the continued support of the United Nations to this effort,” he stressed.

Meanwhile, Guterres expressed concern over the “dire” humanitarian situation in the East African nation, citing the displacements of people triggered by localized violence, extreme weather as well as livelihood pressures.

Approximately 7.2 million people are estimated to face high levels of food insecurity, with 108,000 people facing catastrophic levels of hunger, according to the UN.

The top UN official’s report also highlighted the persistent cases of conflict-related sexual violence and other serious human rights violations, blamed on “pervasive impunity”, “lack of accountability” and “rule of law deficits”.

“The Government should take the necessary steps to ensure a safe and secure environment in order for humanitarian partners to deliver life-saving goods and services. These acts of criminality and violence must stop,” he remarked.

Guterres, however, said the UN stands alongside the coalition government in supporting initiatives that promote durable peace and ensure perpetrators of violence are brought to justice.

Source: Sudan Tribune

A veteran South Sudanese politician has accused First Vice President, Riek Machar of lacking interest in the implementation of the revitalised peace agreement after last year’s formation of the Transitional Government of National Unity (TGoNU).

Peter Adwok Nyaba, a former Higher Education minister, wondered who would still be interested in the full implementation of the peace agreement after Machar joined the coalition government.

“Who could have been more interested in the R-ARCSS [Revitalised Agreement on Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan] implementation than Riek Machar?” asked Nyaba.

“But Riek has settled down comfortably into his diluted vice president’s position as to even order attacks on his recalcitrant commanders in Kit-Gwang. SSCSF [South Sudan Civil Society Forum] should now find better means of helping the people of South Sudan than hovering in the corridors of power. It is a tall order,” he added.

Nyaba, who formerly belong to the armed opposition movement led by Machar, argued that civil society actors, women and faith-based groups have been ignored in the peace implementation.

“This development came as a surprise, but I think it better they did so now than never. It was wrong, from the beginning for the political parties, civil society groups, women group and the faith-based groups, not directly involved in the war, to have unwittingly allowed the IGAD mediators to include them in a game too complicated than the peace process,” Nyaba wrote on his Facebook page.

He added, “The collapse of A-RCSS should have been enough to warn these social and political forces that it was about nothing but power, and being in a particular portfolio”.

The First Vice President’s office has not officially reacted to the ex-minister’s statement.

The former minister was reacting to the resignation by a leading civil society activist representing coalition organisations in the reconstituted joint monitoring mechanism, a body tasked to track and monitoring the implementation of the peace agreement.

In a letter extended to Sudan Tribune on Monday, Rajab Mahandis said he quit because resolutions of the peace monitoring body were not being honoured.

“I tendered this resignation with full respect for the content of the revitalized agreement on resolution of the conflict in the republic of South Sudan. That if the peace agreement implemented in letter and spirit and in consistently sequential and timely manner, as outlined in the implementation matrix, it would have restored lasting peace in our country, reformed institutions, set the country on the path to recovery and development, guarantee safety of the people and would have allowed those displaced and in refuge to return home”, the explained.

The September 2018 revitalized peace agreement signed by the parties involved in the conflict and other stakeholders, gives the coalition government the mandate to organize elections 60 days before the end of the transitional period.

Source: Sudan Tribune

Volker Perthes, Head of UN Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS) called for international financial support to implement the peace agreement and provide security to civilians.

Perthes briefed the Security Council on Tuesday on the implementation of the Juba Peace Agreement and the ongoing democratic reforms carried by the transitional government.

He told the 15-member body that despite some progress since his last briefing in May, the country continues to be hit by severe economic situation while violence affects Darfur and eastern Sudan.

Further, he pointed to the lack of justice and accountability for the Darfur war crimes, and the bloody attacks on civilians during the protests that toppled the former regime and after the revolution.

Speaking about the current security situation in Darfur he pointed to the urgency of deploying the Joint Security Keeping Forces to quell attacks on civilian and intercommunal violence.

“Between January and August 2021, about 418,000 people were newly displaced as a result of conflicts and armed attacks across Sudan, mainly in Darfur, parts of Kordofan and Blue Nile,” he said.

“This is more than six times as many as in the same period last year,” he further stressed.

The ceasefire monitoring in Darfur is “a priority area” for UNITAMS, according to resolution 2579 (2021). Further, the Mission, chairs the ceasefire commission, a role that allows following closely the implementation of the security arrangements.

Perthes told the Council that the Sudanese parties expect international logistical and financial support for the implementation of the security arrangements.

“And indeed, if Member States want security to be stabilised in Darfur they should not shy away from making resources available for, among other things, the training and support of the planned Joint Security Keeping Forces, the Police, or the demobilization and reintegration of fighters,” he stressed.

Speaking on behalf of the African group at the Security Council Tunisia’s representative, called on signatories to the Juba Peace Agreement to continue to implement its provisions, and to establish the key transitional institutions.

He further underscored that a lack of sufficient financial and technical resources to implement the Juba Peace Agreement. Also, he welcomed the establishment of the Sudan Peace Fund and called on all the country’s partners to support that initiative.

Source: Sudan Tribune

Nicholas Haysom, UN Special Representative and head of the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), said 30 August saw the inauguration of the reconstituted Parliament, with members sworn in on 2 August – including the first female Speaker of the Transitional National Legislative Assembly and female Deputy Speaker of the Council of States.

“This development paves the way for a much-delayed charge on the legislative programme envisaged by the Peace Agreement”, he said, stressing that it must now be complemented by the reconstitution of state legislatures.

He said the extensive legislative agenda includes passage of priority bills already prepared by the National Constitution Amendment Committee on the reform of security, financial, judicial, constitutional and electoral institutions.

Third anniversary

With 12 September marking the three-year anniversary of the revitalized peace agreement in South Sudan, “certainly, the reconstitution of the national parliament presents an opportunity to infuse urgency in the implementation of the peace process,” he stressed.

A ministerial task force has presented a bill on the constitution-making process to the Minister of Justice and regional development body IGAD, he added.

The constitution making process – an important peace process benchmark – marks a critical step forward in its own right, the Mission chief said, signifying a social contract between all South Sudanese on the arrangements by which they can live together in peace and harmony.

Elections: prepare, prepare, prepare

In parallel, electoral preparations should be conducted, he said. While there is no consensus on the timelines, the two extensions to the transitional period would see elections being held in early 2023, requiring the completion of a voters’ register by late 2022. Without adequate technical and political preparations, “this event could be a catastrophe instead of a national turning point,” he said.

He pointed to the consultative process for the Commission for Truth, Reconciliation and Healing as another important development.

To be sure, the lack of progress in the transitional security arrangements is now the major challenge. He encouraged parties to agree on the unified command-and-control structures of the national security institutions without delay, citing fractures within the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-in-Opposition (SPLA-IO), as an “unfortunate result” of the slow pace.

Avoid ‘adversarial politics’

Mr. Haysom warned that desertions of forces led by Generals Gatwech, Olony and Thomas Dhul – and the conflicts between these groups and forces loyal to Riek Machar – will undermine the peace process. The delays also have widened the imbalance between the main parties to the revitalized peace agreement. “It is imperative that the parties put aside adversarial politics to work as a unity Government.”

Record food insecurity

Reena Ghelani, Director of Operations and Advocacy Division, Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OHCA), said people in South Sudan are facing the highest levels of food insecurity recorded since independence: over 60 per cent of the population is severely food insecure.

The combined effects of conflict, climate shocks, displacement, COVID-19 and the lack of investment in infrastructure and basic services, have driven them deeper into need.

More than 8.3 million people need humanitarian assistance, including 1.4 million children, she said. Estimates in December 2020 found that 2.4 million people faced emergency levels of acute food insecurity (IPC Phase 4 or above) between April and July 2021.

In five of these six locations, she said conflict was the major driver fuelling displacement and leading to the loss of lives, assets and livelihoods.

‘A lifeline out of starvation’

She said humanitarian agencies scaled up the multi-sectoral response in the at-risk counties, reaching over half a million people between January and June. “We have managed to give thousands a lifeline out of starvation.”

The response is part of a larger aid operation that has assisted 4.4 million people across the country between January and June with food, medical and nutritional care, water and sanitation, protection support and shelter.

Attacks along supply routes

However, she said non-State armed groups and certain youth groups continue to hamper access, looting humanitarian facilities and frequently attacking civilian and humanitarian convoys along key supply routes. The disruptions have fuelled higher prices of essential goods for an already vulnerable population.

Meanwhile, she said flooding for a third consecutive year has affected nearly 426,000 people along the Nile river, the Sudd wetland and the Sobat.

Funding gaps

The World Food Programme (WFP) was forced to reduce food rations in all Refugee, Protection of Civilian and IDP camps from April 2021, due to inadequate funding – a move that affected 700,000 people. In October, it will be forced to stop support in IDP camps in Bor, Juba, and Wau, as resources were re-prioritized to counties where people were at the brink of famine.

Going forward, she called all actors to de-escalate the violence, stressing that humanitarians need Government support to ensure safe and unhindered access to people in need. The $1.7 billion Humanitarian Response Plan – the largest ever for South Sudan – is only 56 per cent funded and she urged donors to give at scale early in 2022, so aid efforts can get ahead of the needs.

Source: United Nations

Sudanese women are considerably affected by violence in the Darfur region and still underrepresented in the transitional government institutions, a Sudanese activist told the UN Security Council on Tuesday.

Hala al-Karib, Regional Director of the Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa, briefed the Council on the situation of women in Sudan after the ouster of the former repressive regime in April 2019.

Al-Karbi who is actively involved in the support of women rights in Sudan said the slow implementation of reforms by transitional government fuels violence and negatively affects the fragile economy, governance system and public institutions.

“As was the case before the April 2019 revolution, women remain disproportionately impacted, with the worst food crisis in Sudan’s history pushing families to desperation,” she said.

Women in conflict-affected areas, including Darfur, Blue Nile, the Nuba Mountains and Kordofan continue to face rape, displacement and even death, she added.

“Despite women leading the revolution, we have been shut out from equally and meaningfully participating in every step of the transition,” al-Karib stressed.

Women groups in Sudan say disappointed by the reluctance of the Hamdok government to endorse international and regional conventions on women rights.

Last April, the government approved the ratification of the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) but entered reservations to several crucial dispositions. Moreover, the text until now has not been endorsed definitively.

Women are also angered by their underrepresentation in the cabinet and public agencies. The prime minister says the blame should be directed to the political groups of the Forces for Freedom and Changes who nominate the government officials.

Mentioning violent incidents of disrespect by armed groups including in Khartoum she said such actions are making an inclusive and democratic transformation more difficult.

SIHA director urged the Council to support Sudanese women by ensuring their full, equal and meaningful participation and leadership throughout the Transitional Government’s bodies, and in the peace processes.

The Constitutional Declaration of 2019 provides that 40% of the cabinet portfolios and the would-be formed legislative body be allocated to the Sudanese government.

Also, she called on the Security Council to press the Transitional Government to ratify CEDAW, and “ensure harmonization of domestic laws with the Convention without delay”.

Source: Sudan Tribune