- South Sudan's President Salva Kiir sacks cabinet, including his deputy Riek Machar [1]
- South Sudan's ousted cabinet barred from entering ministries [2]
- UK Minister for Africa Mark Simmonds urges restraint after dismissal of south Sudanese Government [3]
- UN mission closely monitoring situation in South Sudan amid political changes [4]
- FULL TEXT Documents: Decrees issued by South Sudan's President Salva Kiir [5]
- UN Security Council Resolution 2109 (2013) Adopted by the Security Council at its 6998th meeting on 11 July 2013 [6]
- Darfur, Western Sudan: UN Chief: ‘Situation in Darfur continues to regress’ - UN peacekeeping chief visits Sudan [7]
- North Kordofan, Central Sudan: Sudanese army repulses SRF rebels' attack in North Kordofan - Sudan army, rebels clash ahead of oil deadline [8a & 8b]
- Seven Tanzanian UNAMID peacekeepers killed and 17 others injured in ambush in Darfur on 12 July 2013 - Tanzania bids farewell to its departed heroes [9a, 9b & 9c]
- Sudan files complaint to African Union against Uganda's support for rebels [10]
- DR Congo: Heavy fighting has resumed between the Congolese army and the M23 armed group in the Mutaho-Kibati area, near Goma, in N. Kivu Province [11]
- DR Congo: Over 30,000 Congolese flee rebel attacks to Uganda: UN [12]
- CAR: Communiqué of AU PSC on situation in the Central African Republic (CAR) [13]
[1] Report by AFP published at www.france24.com on Wednesday, 24 July 2013. Full copy:
South Sudan's Salva Kiir sacks cabinet
South Sudan's President, Salva Kiir, on Wednesday sacked his entire cabinet, including his main political rival Riek Machar. The move raises fears of political instability in a country riven by ethnic rivalries and still reeling from decades of war.Source: AFP report reprinted at http://www.france24.com/en/20130724-south-sudan-salva-kiir-sacking-security-forces-president-
Heavily armed South Sudanese security forces guarded key government institutions in the capital Juba Wednesday as radio broadcasts called for calm after the president suspended his cabinet and his main political rival.
Those removed by President Salva Kiir include two of the country's most influential leaders - his rival vice-president Riek Machar Machar and Pagan Amum, the secretary-general of the ruling party, the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM).
The sackings have sparked concern over potential instability in the fledgling nation, which is awash with guns, riven by ethnic rivalries and still reeling from decades of war.
"We are asking our citizens, please do your duty and go to work," said Barnaba Marial Benjamin, who until his suspension late Tuesday was the information minister and government spokesman.
All 29 ministers were suspended as well as their deputies, in addition to 17 police brigadiers.
"Give the president a chance to form his government... he has already empowered the technocrats to see the day-to-day running of the administration," Benjamin said in a broadcast on the UN-supported Radio Miraya.
Troops and armed police blocked several key roads in Juba, with a heavy deployment at the government ministry complex, but the city was reported calm, army spokesman Philip Aguer said.
"This is routine work, they are being deployed to protect the ministries," Aguer told AFP.
Many of the ministers were key figures in the rebel SPLM or its armed wing that fought a brutal 1983-2005 war against the government in Khartoum, which led to a 2011 referendum in which South Sudan voted overwhelmingly to split from the north.
Machar, from the Dok Nuer people from the key oil producing Unity state, is a controversial figure for many, but commands loyalty among many branches of the Nuer, which form an integral part of the footsoldiers of the new nation's ex-rebel army.
He has made no secret of his desire to challenge Kiir for the presidency in elections due in 2015.
However, he fought on both sides of the civil war, leading a splinter SPLM faction that sided with Khartoum, battling troops commanded by Kiir, who comes from the Dinka people.
Machar's troops are accused of a brutal massacre in the ethnic Dinka town of Bor in 1991.
"This latest move is part of an ongoing struggle in the highest levels of South Sudan's political leadership," said Akshaya Kumar of the US-based Enough Project, which campaigns for peace in the Sudans.
Last month, Machar led talks with Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir to ease tensions after Khartoum threatened to halt oil flows worth billions of dollars to both impoverished neighbours.
Amum was the top negotiator with arch-foe Sudan at long-running African Union-mediated talks over a raft of issues left unresolved at independence, including border demarcation and oil exports, currently under threat of suspension again, this time by Khartoum.
The suspended party leader is to be also investigated for alleged "mismanagement of the party" by a parliamentary committee, the presidential orders broadcast on state radio said.
However, Khartoum said the suspensions would not impact oil and security pacts reached between them.
"These are agreements between two countries" not individuals, said Abubakr Al-Siddiq, spokesman for Sudan's foreign ministry.
Sudan has issued an August 7 deadline to shut down oil production -- accusing Juba of backing rebels in the north, claims Juba denies -- in the latest in a string of threatened cuts.
South Sudan's oil minister Stephen Dhieu Dau, speaking Tuesday ahead of his suspension, said Juba will end its production by July 31, which would be the second major shutdown since independence two years ago.
No replacements have been announced, and it was not clear if any of those suspended would return, or if new blood would be brought in to the cabinet.
While Juba has been rife with rumours in recent weeks about a potential reshuffle by Kiir -- especially concerning tense relations with Machar -- the move still caught many by surprise.
"It is possible that this move could lead to increased political tension or disturbances in Juba and other parts of the country," Britain's Foreign Office warned.
The political reshuffle comes as civilians reel from heavy clashes in the troubled eastern state of Jonglei, where fierce fighting between rival ethnic groups have left hundreds of people wounded, and raised fears many others have been killed.
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[2] Report from Radio Tamazuj.org dated Wednesday, 24 July 2013. Full copy:
South Sudan’s ousted cabinet barred from entering ministries
JUBA, South Sudan - The national ministers who were relieved of duty yesterday are barred from entering their former offices except under escort.
The entire cabinet of 28 ministers as well as all the deputy ministers were removed by decree of President Salva Kiir and have yet to be replaced.Source: http://radiotamazuj.org/en/article/south-sudan%E2%80%99s-ousted-cabinet-barred-entering-ministries
Undersecretaries are now responsible for discharging the functions of their respective ministries and are to report directly to an official in the presidency, Secretary-General of the Government Abdoun Agaw.
Agaw met today with the undersecretaries, state radio in Juba announced this evening. He was quoted as saying that former ministers and deputy ministers will only be allowed into the ministries to remove their personal belongings in the presence of security personnel.
According to a witness who spent the day at one of the ministries at the main ministries complex, very few government employees reported to work today. Some entrances to the complex were unguarded but at least one entrance was manned by soldiers armed with heavy machine guns.
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[3] Report from African Press Organization (APO) dated Thursday, 25 July 2013. Full copy:
UK Minister for Africa urges restraint after dismissal of south Sudanese Government
LONDON, United-Kingdom - FCO urge peaceful response to dismissal of South Sudan government and rapid appointment of new ministers reflecting country's diversitySource: APO report reprinted at http://www.icilome.com/nouvelles/news.asp?id=2&idnews=759052
FCO Minister for Africa Mark Simmonds said:
“I have been concerned by the growing political divisions in South Sudan over the past months, culminating in the decision of President Salva Kiir Mayardit to dismiss his Vice President and all Ministers from the Government of South Sudan on 23 July.
“At a time when South Sudan faces many challenges internally and in its relations with Sudan, it needs strong united leadership, committed to responding to the needs of its people, and resolving its internal conflicts and disputes with Sudan.
“I therefore encourage President Kiir to act quickly to appoint a new government, in accordance with the Interim Constitution, that reflects the diverse groups in South Sudanese society.
“I strongly urge all groups and individuals to respond in a measured and peaceful manner, and to work together to maintain security and the rule of law. We will look to them to engage constructively in the democratic process, for the benefit of South Sudan's peaceful development.”
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[4] Report from Xinhua (Agencies) dated Thursday, 25 July 2013; 08:58. Full copy:
UN mission closely monitoring situation in South Sudan amid political changes
UN mission in South Sudan is closely monitoring the situation in the country after its president fired the vice president and dismissed the lead negotiator in talks with Sudan, a spokesperson said on Wednesday.Source: Reprinted by http://www.globaltimes.cn/NEWS/tabid/99/ID/798929/UN-mission-closely-monitoring-situation-in-South-Sudan-amid-political-changes.aspx
The UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) noted that Vice President Riek Machar has publicly stated that he recognizes the President's right to dissolve the government and that he is willing to launch opposition through the electoral process, UN deputy spokesperson Eduardo del Buey told reporters at a daily news briefing.
"The Mission also notes that no actor has challenged the constitutionality of the steps taken by the President," del Buey said, adding that UNMISS is very closely monitoring the situation.
South Sudanese President Salva Kiir on Tuesday sacked his deputy Riek Machar, dissolved the government, and suspended the top negotiator of the world's newest nation with Sudan.
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[5] Report by Radio Tamazuj.org dated Wednesday, 24 July 2013. Full copy:
Documents: decrees issued by South Sudan's President
JUBA, South Sudan - South Sudan's President Salva Kiir announced on Tuesday [23 July 2013] over the state radio in Juba [South Sudan] he was relieving several members of his government in a series of decrees.
Among those relieved are Vice President Riek Machar, every national minister and deputy ministers, 17 brigadiers in the police service and SPLM Secretary Pa’gan Amum.Source: http://radiotamazuj.org/en/article/documents-decrees-issued-south-sudans-president
Amum will be investigated by a committee chaired by Speaker of the Assembly James Wani Igga. The SPLM Secretary is accused of ‘administrative mismanagement’ within the party, and the investigation will report back within 30 days to the president, who is also chairman of the party.
See below the following Orders issued by President Salva Kiir:
RSS/RO/J/14/2013 – Reduction and Restructuring of the Ministries of the National Government of the Republic of South Sudan
SPLM/CPO/J/01/2013 – Suspension and the Formation of the Committee to Investigate the SPLM Secretary General
RSS/RD/J/49/2013 – Relief of the Vice President of the Republic of South Sudan
RSS/RD/J/50/2013 – Relief of National Ministers of the Government of the Republic of South Sudan
RSS/RD/J/51/2013 – Relief of National Deputy Ministers of the Government of the Republic of South Sudan
Restructuring of the ministries.pdf
http://radiotamazuj.org/sites/default/files/Restructuring of the ministries.pdf
Suspension of Pagan Amum.pdf
http://radiotamazuj.org/sites/default/files/Suspension of Pagan Amum_0.pdf
Relief of VP.pdf
http://radiotamazuj.org/sites/default/files/Relief of VP.pdf
Relief of National ministers.pdf
http://radiotamazuj.org/sites/default/files/Relief of National ministers.pdf
Relieve of National Deputy ministers.pdf
http://radiotamazuj.org/sites/default/files/Relieve of National Deputy ministers.pdf
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[6] UN Security Council Resolution 2109 (2013) Adopted by the Security Council at its 6998th meeting on 11 July 2013
Excerpt re: UN Peacekeeping operation in South Sudan: "Acting under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations, 1.Decides to extend the mandate of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) as set out in paragraph 3 of resolution 1996 (2011) through 15 July 2014;"Read full document at: http://www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=S/RES/2109%282013%29
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OTHER NEWS
[7a] Report by Radio Dabanga published Monday, 22 July 2013. Full copy:
UN Chief: ‘Situation in Darfur continues to regress’
NEW YORK - In his latest update to the UN Security Council, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has lamented the continued deterioration of the humanitarian and security situation in Darfur.
“The situation continues to deteriorate, the implementation of the peace agreement signed two years ago in Doha is at an unacceptably slow pace, while most of it has not even commenced. The government and allied militias have imposed increased restrictions for Unamid peacekeepers to investigate insecurity. Only 25 per cent (11 out of 44 units) of the UN military and police units with armoured cars are usable for the minimum required threshold service level.”Source: http://www.radiodabanga.org/node/53714
These are Ban’s main conclusions in his latest update, signed July 13, 2013, to the Security Council concerning the Unamid peacekeeping operation in Sudan's Darfur.
The Secretary General has a different view than that of members of the Implementation Follow-Up Commission (IFC) for the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur (DDPD) with regard to the 12 May killing of breakaway JEM leader, Mohamed Bashar (see related coverage below).
Mohamed Bashar, leader of a breakaway faction of JEM, his deputy, Suleiman Arko, and other colleagues were killed on 12 May during an attack near the Chad-Sudanese border. Conflicting reports surrounding the circumstances of the attack were issued by JEM-Ibrahim who are accused of carrying out the deadly attack, and the JEM-Bashar faction.
The IFC members condemned the killing of Bashar; reports were conflicting at the time, but they assumed the clash took place in Chad. Members include: Qatar, Chad, China, Egypt, France, Japan, Russian Federation, Sudan, United Kingdom, United States of America, UNAMID, African Union, United Nations, European Union, League of Arab States, Organization of Islamic Cooperation, Liberation and Justice Movement, and Justice and Equality Movement-Bashar.
According to Ban, Bashar was killed by another rebel group (JEM-Ibrahim) he had broken away from in order to sign a peace agreement with Khartoum. In his latest update to the UN Security Council, Ban confirms that Bashar was killed inside Darfur while returning from Chad supplied with heavy arms.
Apparently several of the people killed held Chadian nationality. According to Article 399 of the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur (less formally referred to as the Doha peace agreement), the government should disarm the militias before implementation of the peace agreement can start.
In the 4 June declaration, IFC members did not condemn the killing of a Nigerian peacekeeper by a pro-government militia. Neither did they mention the fact that several civilians were killed in government attacks and bombardments within sight of the Unamid team sites in Labado and Muhajeriya.
According the July report by Ban, an estimated 17,100 civilians took refuge around the two Unamid bases in the first two weeks of April. Widespread movement restrictions imposed by government forces and armed movements prevented the peacekeepers form assessing the situation and to help the casualties.
Radio Dabanga had reported that people were dying in front of the team sites, with no aid provided. The UN Secretary General says in his update: “I condemn, in the strongest terms, the attack on the Unamid base in Muhajeriya which resulted in the death of one peacekeeper.
“Such acts are reprehensible and a violation of international law. I call upon the Government to bring the perpetrators of these heinous acts to justice.”
The UN chief also reiterated that that he is deeply disturbed by the killing of Mohamed Bashar and several other members of his faction. Amongst the slain pro-government militia was its leader Saleh Mohammed Jerbo Jamus. A case against him was scheduled at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague.
Jerbo and Abdallah Banda Abakaer Nourain were the main suspects in the killing of 12 African peacekeepers from Nigeria, Mali, Senegal and Botswana in Haskanita in 2007. They were charged for war crimes including pillaging, murder and attacking peacekeepers.
Banda is now one of the main implementing officials of the peace agreement on behalf of the government. The UN does not mention the ICC, but refers instead to the Sudan government’s Special Prosecutor saying that “no further details on the types of crimes or the status of their prosecution were provided”.
Doha peace agreement
The UN chief is concerned about the scant implementation of the Doha peace agreement. Two years after the signing of the DDPD, the ceasefire and security arrangements are still pending, as is the Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission. The reconciliation process is delayed, a micro-finance system for income-generating activities as well as a compensation fund for victims remain outstanding. He quantified the progress as “an unacceptably slow pace”.
In the past three months Unamid was denied access and freedom of movement by the authorities to investigate insecurity 181 times, against 102 times in the previous months. In the reporting period, more than 300,000 people were displaced, as many as the total for all the previous years together.
The report said that paramilitary government forces, specifically the Central Reserve Police (Abu Tira), the Popular Defence Forces (an Islamist militia) and the border guards previously known as Janjaweed were often identified by survivors.
The UN chief hails the results of the Darfur donor conference in April 2013. A pledge of $3.6 billion was made against the $7.2 billion identified as funding needs, the main part coming from Sudan itself ($2,6 billion) and from Qatar.
The secretary general concludes that potential donors have indicated a reluctance to commit funds given the little progress in the implementation of the Doha peace agreement.
File photo: UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon (Mark Garten/UN Photo)
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[7b] A deterioration in the security situation in Darfur, Sudan - UN peacekeeping chief visits Sudan
HERE are some extracts from a Press Release by UNAMID (the UN-AU Mission in Darfur) dated 05 July 2013 entitled "UN peacekeeping chief visits Sudan":
- 300,000 displaced since the beginning of this year
- On 03 July 2013 three peacekeepers were injured in an ambush on a UNAMID convoy near Labado, East Darfur, Sudan
- On 03 July 2013 the head of UN peacekeeping Hervé Ladsous visited East Darfur, Sudan
- On 04 July 2013 Hervé Ladsous met with Sudan's President Bashir and other senior officials of the Government of Sudan
During the visit, which began on 03 July, Mr. Ladsous travelled to El Daein, East Darfur State, where he met with the Wali (Governor) and other members of local government, leaders of Native Administration and civil society, as well as internally displaced people at Neem camp. He also had extensive discussions with UNAMID personnel. In Khartoum, Mr. Ladsous met with President Omar Al-Bashir and other senior officials of the Government of Sudan.
Speaking to the press in Khartoum on 04 July, the USG expressed concern over the recent intensification of conflict in Darfur and its impact on the civilian population. “We have witnessed a deterioration in the security situation. More people have been displaced—over 300,000 since the beginning of this year—due mostly to tribal clashes,” the head of UN peacekeeping said.
Mr. Ladsous called on all parties to cease hostilities and praised the efforts of UNAMID peacekeepers, who serve in very difficult circumstances, to protect civilians, secure the delivery of aid and support the peace process.
Speaking to the press in Khartoum, Sudan on 04 July 2013, Hervé Ladsous stated that on 03 July, three peacekeepers were injured in an ambush on a UNAMID convoy near Labado, East Darfur. “Attacks on peacekeepers are a crime,” he said, adding that in violation of international humanitarian law a UNAMID ambulance was fired upon by the unidentified armed group that had mounted the ambush. Condemning the incident and noting the peacekeepers’ robust response to the attack, the USG stressed that the perpetrators must be apprehended and prosecuted.
Source: UNAMID Press Release at: http://unamid.unmissions.org/Default.aspx?tabid=11027&ctl=Details&mid=14214&ItemID=22527&language=en-US
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[8a] Report by Xinhua English.news.cn published Wednesday, 24 July 2013; 22:32:57. Full copy:
Sudanese army repulses rebel attack in North Kordofan [Central Sudan]Source: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/africa/2013-07/24/c_132571074.htm
KHARTOUM, Sudan - The Sudanese army on Wednesday said it had repulsed an attack by the rebel Revolutionary Front in Al-Sidra area in North Kordofan state, official SUNA news agency reported.
"The remnants of the so-called Revolutionary Front this morning launched a heinous attack against Al-Sidra village in North Kordofan state with the aim to rob citizens of their money," the agency quoted Al-Sawarmy Khalid Saad, the Sudanese army spokesman, as saying.
He further said that the Sudanese armed forces repulsed the remnants of the rebels, inflicted on them huge casualties and equipment losses and forced them to flee the attack scene.
He said the area was now under the full control of the Sudanese armed forces, noting that five soldiers were killed during the clashes with the rebels.
South Kordofan state has been witnessing armed clashes since 2011 between the Sudanese army and the People's Liberation Movement (SPLM)/northern sector, which has formed the Revolutionary Front with a number of Darfur armed movements.
Last April, the rebel alliance, which brought together the SPLM/ northern sector, Darfur's Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), the Sudan Liberation Army's Abdul-Wahid Mohamed Nur faction and the Minni Minawi faction, attacked Um Rawaba and Abu Karshula areas in North and South Kordofan states.
Khartoum accuses South Sudan of supporting the SPLM/northern sector, while Juba denies the allegation. (Editor: yan)
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[8b] Report from AFP by Ian Timberlake dated Wednesday, 24 July 2013. Full copy:
Sudan army, rebels clash ahead of oil deadline
KHARTOUM, Sudan - Sudanese rebels clashed with troops in North Kordofan Wednesday, both sides said, days before a Khartoum deadline to halt South Sudan's oil exports over allegations it is backing the insurgents.
The Justice and Equality Movement, a Darfur-based group which is part of a wider rebel alliance, said it attacked a military convoy and captured the garrison at Sidrah, about 30 kilometres (20 miles) south of El Rahad town.Source: AFP report reprinted at http://www.foxnews.com/world/2013/07/24/sudan-army-rebels-clash-ahead-oil-deadline/#ixzz2ZyywOBmz
The attack ended weeks of relative calm in the area.
"Fighting is still going on," JEM spokesman Gibril Adam Bilal told AFP early Wednesday.
The army later confirmed an attack against Sidrah but said it forced the rebels to flee, leaving government forces in control of the area.
"The aim of their attack was to loot the civilian population," the official SUNA news agency quoted army spokesman Sawarmi Khaled Saad as saying.
A Rahad resident told AFP: "We hear shooting and explosions.
"Authorities closed the schools and asked students to go home," the resident added, asking to remain anonymous because of the situation.
The JEM and two factions of the Sudan Liberation Army in Darfur belong to the Sudan Revolutionary Front (SRF), an alliance with insurgents fighting in South Kordofan state south of Sidrah, and in Blue Nile.
The SRF staged its first joint operation in April, sweeping through a previously peaceful part of North Kordofan near Sidrah as part of coordinated attacks in the region.
Analysts said those rebel strikes humiliated the authorities, who took a month to retake one of the seized areas, Abu Kershola.
In June, Khartoum gave oil companies 60 days to stop transporting crude from South Sudan through a Sudanese export pipeline after President Omar al-Bashir accused the Juba government of backing the rebels in the north.
There has been confusion, however, about whether the 60 days is merely a warning period, with a shutdown possible after that deadline, which expires around August 7.
A source close to the oil industry said on Wednesday that full preparations to close the pipeline had not begun and crude was still flowing.
"Yes it's flowing," the source said.
An oil analyst earlier told AFP that 45 days would be required to complete a shutdown without damaging the infrastructure.
Juba denies supporting the insurgents and in turn says Khartoum assists rebels on southern soil.
Observers say that, in reality, both governments have aided each other's rebels.
On Monday, the African Union and east African bloc, the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development, inaugurated a panel to probe allegations of rebel support by each side.
Regional nations also began determining the centreline of a demilitarised buffer zone that is to straddle the 2,000-kilometre (1,250-mile) undemarcated border between the two countries.
The buffer zone is designed to cut cross-border rebel support.
While this process and the investigation of alleged rebel support take place, the AU and IGAD called on both states "to refrain from any unilateral action", an AU statement said on Monday.
South Sudan separated two years ago with most of the formerly united country's oil production but the pipelines and the Red Sea export terminal remained in the north.
After a fee dispute and intermittent border clashes, South Sudan in April resumed pumping its oil, which began slowly moving towards the Port Sudan terminal.
The South's export revenues, and the fees due Khartoum for use of the infrastructure, are potentially worth billions of dollars to both impoverished nations.
"The Sudanese government's priority is the insurgency; there are unlikely to be any positive developments in negotiations with South Sudan... if it continues," the Small Arms Survey, a Swiss-based independent research project, said in a briefing paper this month.
Earlier in July, Khartoum transferred Ahmed Haroun, the governor of South Kordofan, to take over the running of his native region North Kordofan.
Haroun is wanted by The Hague-based International Criminal Court on 22 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity allegedly committed in Darfur.
Photo: Sudanese army soldiers pictured in Abu Kershola in South Kordofan after capturing the town from Sudan Revolutionary Front rebels, May 28, 2013. Sudanese rebels clashed with troops in North Kordofan Wednesday, both sides said, days before a Khartoum deadline to halt South Sudan's oil exports over allegations it is backing the insurgents. (AFP/File)
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[9a] Seven Tanzanian UNAMID peacekeepers killed and 17 others injured in ambush in Darfur on 12 July 2013
Report from UN MultiMedia dated 18 July 2013 can be found at:
http://www.unmultimedia.org/radio/english/2013/07/seven-tanzanian-unamid-peacekeepers-killed-and-17-others-injured-in-ambush-in-darfur-sudan/
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[9b] UNAMID peacekeepers killed, injured in South Darfur ambush
UNAMID Press Release from El Fasher, Darfur, western Sudan 13 July 2013. Excerpt:
On 13 July, a joint patrol of the African Union - United Nations Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) was ambushed in South Darfur.Source: http://unamid.unmissions.org/Default.aspx?tabid=11027&ctl=Details&mid=14214&ItemID=22537&language=en-US
The incident, which began at 9:00 hours, occurred approximately 25 kilometers west of the Mission's Khor Abeche team site.
The UNAMID team came under heavy fire from a large unidentified group. Following an extended firefight, the patrol was extracted by UNAMID reinforcements that arrived from the Mission's Khor Abeche and Manawashi team sites. Seven UNAMID military peacekeepers were killed and 17 military and Police personnel, among them two female Police Advisers, were wounded.
"The Mission condemns in the strongest possible terms those responsible for this heinous attack on our peacekeepers," said UNAMID Joint Special Representative Mohamed Ibn Chambas. "The perpetrators should be on notice that they will be pursued for this crime and gross violation of international humanitarian law."
Photo: UNAMID peacekeepers, based in Khor Abeche, South Darfur, drive in one of the Armored Personnel Carriers that was damaged during the attack. Photo by Albert González Farran, UNAMID.
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[9c] Tanzania bids farewell to its departed heroes
Report from The National Citizen entitled "Tanzania bids farewell to its departed heroes", written by Katare Mbashiru (email the author) published Monday, 22 July 2013; 19:17. Excerpts:
[Tanzanian] President Kikwete, who is also the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, led senior government officials and top army officers in bidding farewell to Sergeant Shaibu Othman, Corporal Oswald Chaula, Corporal Mohammed Juma Ali, Corporal Mohammed Chokizo, Private Rodney Ndunguru, Private Fortunatus Msofe and Private Peter Muhiri Werema. [...]
The soldiers were killed when gunmen ambushed a convoy of African Union-United Nations Mission in Darfur (Unamid) peacekeepers in southern Darfur on July 13. Seventeen others were wounded in the worst attack in Unamid’s five-year history.Full story at: http://www.thecitizen.co.tz/News/Tanzania-bids-farewell-to-its-departed-heroes/-/1840392/1923262/-/xjlmq7z/-/index.html
+ + + R.I.P. + + +
[10] Report by Xinhua dated Saturday, 20 July 2013:
Sudan files complaint to African Union against Uganda's support for rebelsFull story at this blog's sister site Uganda Watch, Sunday 21 July 2013:
KHARTOUM, Sudan - Sudan has filed a complaint to the African Union (AU) against Uganda over its support for rebel insurgency against Khartoum, Almeghar Alsyasi daily reported Saturday. The paper quoted Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Rahamtalla Mohamed Osman as saying that the Sudanese government "is waiting for the AU's response to its complaint."
http://ugandawatch.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/sudan-files-complaint-to-au-against.html
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[11] DR Congo: Heavy fighting has resumed between the Congolese army and the M23 armed group in the Mutaho-Kibati area, near Goma, in N. Kivu Province, DRC
Excerpt from Monday, 22 July 2013 Daily Press Briefing by the UN's Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General:
The United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo [MONUSCO] reports that heavy fighting has resumed between the Congolese army and the M23 [23 March Movement] armed group in the Mutaho-Kibati area, near Goma, in North Kivu Province.Source: http://www.un.org/News/briefings/docs/2013/db130722.doc.htm
The Mission, MONUSCO, adds that after exchanging intermittent fire over the weekend, both sides are now using small arms, mortars and rockets. The Mission reiterates its call for restraint and its peacekeepers in the area remain on high alert.
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[12] DR Congo: Over 30,000 Congolese flee rebel attacks to Uganda: UN
Report from KAMPALA, Uganda by AFP dated 13 July 2013. Excerpt:
Full story at this blog's sister site Congo Watch, Monday 22 July 2013:More than 30,000 refugees from eastern Democratic Republic of Congo fleeing a rebel attack on the town of Kamango have arrived in neighbouring Uganda, UN officials said on Saturday...
http://congowatch.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/dr-congo-over-30000-congolese-flee.html
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[13] CAR: Communiqué of AU PSC on situation in the Central African Republic (CAR)
From the Communiqué of the Peace and Security Council of the African Union (AU), at its 386th meeting on the situation in the Central African Republic (CAR) [Last Updated on Friday, 19 July 2013]:
"The Peace and Security Council of the African Union (AU), at its 386th meeting held on 19 July 2013, adopted the following decision on the situation in the Central African Republic (CAR)...[...] 6. Decides, on the basis of the concept of operations, annexed to the report of the Chairperson of the Commission, to authorize the deployment, for an initial period of six months, of AFISM-CAR, which will have a total strength of 3 652, including 3 500 uniformed personnel (2,475 for the military component and 1,025 for the police component) and 152 civilians, the nucleus of which will be constituted by the contingents currently serving in MICOPAX, in order to contribute to: (i) the protection of civilians and the restoration of security and public order, through the implementation of appropriate measures; (ii) the stabilization of the country and the restoration of the authority of the central Government; (iii) the reform and restructuring of the defense and security sector; and (iv) the creation of conditions conducive for the provision of humanitarian assistance to population in need;"Full story published at this blog's sister site Congo Watch, Friday, 19 July 2013:
http://congowatch.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/car-communique-of-au-psc-on-situation.html
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