South Sudan President Kiir orders strict border control with Sudan

From Sudan Tribune JUBA, South Sudan
Dated Friday, January 12, 2024 - here is a copy in full:

South Sudan president orders strict border control with Sudan

President Salva Kiir

JUBA, January 12, 2024 – South Sudanese President Salva Kiir has ordered a crackdown on illicit movement and activities along the country’s border with Sudan, citing concerns that these activities could undermine national security.

The directive was issued during a high-level meeting held on Thursday to address the recent escalation of communal tensions in the greater Bahr El Ghazal region. The president expressed particular concern about the possibility of illicit firearms entering the country from Sudan and being used in the ongoing conflicts between communities in Abyei, Warrap, and Western Bahr El Ghazal States.

“You must work together to control your borders, especially with Sudan,” Kiir said. “Some people may take advantage of our gesture of allowing brothers and sisters from Sudan to flee the current conflict and use it as an opportunity to deal in arms. This will undermine the security of our borders. So, coordinate your efforts with relevant institutions at all government levels.”

The president also condemned the violence and directed the Chief Administrator of Abyei and the governors of Warrap and Western Bahr El Ghazal States to take immediate steps to de-escalate tensions and engage with relevant stakeholders to restore peace between the affected communities.

Presidential Affairs Minister Joseph Bangasi Bakasoro told SSBC TV that all four governors of Bahr El Ghazal, as well as the governor of Unity State and the chief administrators of Abyei and Ruweng, unanimously agreed to an immediate end to hostilities and the deployment of security forces to facilitate the free movement of people, goods, and services in the affected areas.

Bakasoro also revealed that a comprehensive document outlining the full resolutions of the meeting will soon be released to the relevant institutions for implementation. He added that the high-level meeting demonstrated a strong commitment to consolidating peace and security nationwide.

The meeting was attended by several high-ranking officials, including the governor of Northern Bahr el Ghazal, Tong Akeen Ngor; Governor of Warrap, Kuol Muor Muor; governor of Western Bahr el Ghazal, Sarah Cleto Hassan Rial; Governor of Unity State, Joseph Nguen Monytuil; governor of Lakes, State, Riny Tueny Mabior; Abyei Chief Administrator Chol Deng Alaak; and Ruweng Chief Administrator, Stefano Wieu.

In addition, the meeting was attended by several presidential aides and ministers, including the minister of presidential affairs, Joseph Bangasi Bakasoro; Minister of information, Michael Makuei Lueth; deputy minister of foreign affairs and international cooperation, Ramadan Abdallah Goch; presidential special envoy Benjamin Bol Mel; presidential advisor on national security affairs Tut Gatluak; the chief of defence forces of South Sudan People’s Defense Forces General Santino Deng Wol; Director General of the Internal Bureau of National Security Services, Akol Koor Kuc; and Inspector General of Police, Atem Marol Biar. (ST)

View original: https://sudantribune.com/article281222/

ENDS

S. Sudan: Deployed unified forces arrive in Malakal

Report at Radio Tamazuj, Juba 

Dated Sunday, 26 November 2023 - here is a full copy:

Deployed unified forces arrive in Malakal

Soldiers belonging to the Unified Forces sit on the ground during a deployment ceremony at the Luri Military Training Centre in Juba on November 15, 2023. (PETER LOUIS GUME/AFP)

A cohesive force of 750 individuals, comprising soldiers from the signatories to the 2018 peace agreement – namely, SSPDF, SPLA-IO, and SSOA – arrived unarmed in Malakal, Upper Nile state, on Wednesday. They were dispatched from the capital, Juba.

Confirming the arrival of the first deployed battalion in Malakal, SPLA-IO spokesperson Col. Lam Paul Gabriel told Sudans Post that the unified peace forces, deployed to Upper Nile state last week, reached the state capital on Wednesday morning.

Col. Lam pointed out that the forces await directives from the unified army command in Juba. He warned that any delay in deploying them to designated areas might pose significant challenges.

 “They are already in Upper Nile. They reached Malakal on Wednesday morning. We are waiting for further directives from the CDF [Chief of Defense Forces] and the leadership in Juba,” he said. “We wait for the committee to be able to come to the command [headquarters] in Juba, and then they let us know what to do.”

Estimating that directives would arrive within a week, Col. Lam cautioned that prolonged stay in Malakal could exacerbate challenges. He explained, “I believe it will never take long because the longer they take in one place, the more challenges could start facing them.”

He outlined serious conditions, including operation costs, arming soldiers, and ensuring food availability for deployment, especially considering the accessibility challenges in Upper Nile state.

Col. Lam disclosed that Juba expects additional forces from Unity State, Upper Nile, and Bahr el Ghazal to arrive soon before deployment. “There is also ready 150 soldiers in the Muom Training Center of Leer County in Unity State. They started their journey to Juba on Tuesday, having left Panyijiar County. They were transported to Juba, and we also have another group in Bahr el Ghazal, with an additional group in the Upper Nile region that will be in Juba within the next week.”

Hundreds of unified forces were deployed at a long-overdue ceremony on 15 November, marking progress for the country's lumbering peace process.

The unification of forces was a key condition of the 2018 peace deal that ended a five-year conflict in which nearly 400,000 people died.

View original: https://radiotamazuj.org/en/news/article/deployed-unified-forces-arrive-in-malakal

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South Sudan called on UN Security Council to lift arms embargo, after it deployed soldiers without firearms

NOTE from Sudan Watch Editor: I watched on TV South Sudan’s President Kiir giving a speech in English at the UN General Assembly 2023. He shuffled to the podium without lifting his feet and spoke each word slowly while not appearing to convey comprehension. He seemed to be tired and in poor health and may not be fit enough for an election in December 2024. 

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Report by Xinhua 

Reprinted by The Independent 

Dated Saturday, 18 November 2023 - here is a copy in full:

South Sudan calls for lifting arms embargo after deploys forces without firearms

Silva Kiir, South Sudan president

Juba, South Sudan | Xinhua | South Sudan on Friday called on the United Nations Security Council to lift the existing arms embargo, after it deployed the first battalion of 750 soldiers to Malakal town of Upper Nile state without firearms.

Michael Makuei Lueth, minister of Information and Communication, Technology and Postal Services, said that the first phase of the unified forces on Wednesday was deployed without forearms to Upper Nile state located north of Juba, the capital of South Sudan, due to the existing arms embargo which has made it difficult for them to procure arms.

“We are deploying them without arms because we have no arms, the UN Security Council decided to pass a resolution on the arms embargo on South Sudan, so we are unable to acquire arms for our forces,” Makuei told journalists after the weekly cabinet meeting. “It is the international community that insisted and said that you must deploy these forces; we have been saying we cannot deploy them without arms.”

Makuei said that the forces that were trained in the Upper Nile would be brought to Juba for integration with other forces from Bahr el-Ghazal. He called on the international community and the UN Security Council to lift the arms embargo to enable them to arm the unified forces.

South Sudan’s transitional unity government graduated the first batch of 53,000 unified forces in August last year. In total 83,000 unified forces are supposed to be graduated and deployed under the 2018 revitalized peace agreement signed to end years of conflict since the outbreak in December 2013.

On May 30, 2023, the UN Security Council adopted a resolution to renew for a year arms embargo measures against South Sudan as well as targeted sanctions of travel ban and asset freeze against individuals and entities. The arms embargo and sanctions were imposed in 2018 following the outbreak of conflict in December 2013. 

View original: https://www.independent.co.ug/south-sudan-calls-for-lifting-arms-embargo-as-it-deploys-forces-without-firearms/

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Sudan's NEC chairman begins 4-day tour to North and South Kordofan and the three States of Darfur

Abil Alier to Leave for Kordofan and Darfur States
From Sudanese Online (SUNA), Monday, 05 April 2010:

Khartoum, April 4 (SUNA) - Chairman of the National Elections Commission, Abil Alier, Monday is due to begin Monday a four-day tour to North and South Kordofan and the three States of Darfur to get informed on the latest arrangements for the coming stages of voting, vote counting and declaration of the results in the election process.

Alier will be accompanied during the tour by the member of the commission, Dr. Mukhtar Al-Assam and the two national experts, Mohamed Al-Fadil and Al-Sir Ahmed Babiker

An official source at the National Elections Commission said that Deputy Chairman of the commission, Prof. Abdalla Ahmed Abdalla, accompanied by the national expert Bushra Ahmed Al-Sheikh, are due to leave for Nahral-Neil and the Northern States on April 8 to be informed on the ongoing preparations for holding the election process

The source indicated that member of the National Elections Commission, Dr. Mahasin Hajal-Safi, and the national expert, Osman Haj Al-Zaki, would leave on April 6 for the States of Great Bahral-Ghazal, Buhairat and Warap to inspect the preparations for the coming voting stage.

He said that member of the commission, Gen. (police) Abdalla Al-Hardallo, and the national expert, Khalil Hassan Khalil, will leave on April 6 for Wohda and Jongli States, while member of the commission Flister Baya and the national expert Baha-Eddin Al-Sayed will leave for Western and Eastern Equatoria States to be informed on the arrangement for the coming stage of the election process.

Sudan's Haroun: There is no room for talking about marginalisation of South Kordofan

Haroun: There is no room for talking about marginalization of South Kordofan

From Sudan News Agency - SUNA, Al-Debeibat, January 06, 2010 (SUNA) - The Wali (governor) of Southern Kordofan State, Ahmed Mohamed Haroun, has said that as from now on there is no room for talking about marginalization of the state as it got two third of the Chinese loan extended to Sudan which amounted to 3 billion dollars

Haroun, addressing the celebration of launching Debeibat-Abuzabad Al-Foula road, expressed thanks to the People's Republic of China which extended the loan. IF/BT

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Watch out for old Google Web Alerts
Note to self.  Watch out for old Google Web Alerts.  Right now it is 11:27 am, Wed 20 Jan 2010. I subscribe to Google Web Alerts for news reports on keywords, i.e. Kordofan. Lately, I have noticed a steady stream of incoming Google Web Alerts pointing to old reports, many from last year. Here is a copy of an alert received this morning:

=== Google Web Alert for: kordofan ===

Ambassador to Sudan Li Chengwen attend Dibeibate - Fu La Highway ...
January 6, 2009, the Sudanese government, held in South Kordofan State
Dibeibate - Fu La Highway Project groundbreaking ceremony. ...
http://www.sourcejuice.com/1293717/2010/01/08/Ambassador-Sudan-Chengwen-attend-Dibeibate-Highway-Project/

Making Sense of Sudan » Self-determination
Last week President Omar al Bashir and the cabinet visited South Kordofan
State in the heart of the Nuba Mountains. While the residents welcomed this
long ...
http://blogs.ssrc.org/sudan/category/sudan/self-determination/>

Today, on visiting the link to blogs.ssrc.org, I noticed that the latest blog post at 'Making Sense of Sudan - Self-determination' was by Alex de Waal, posted on Wednesday, January 06, 2010, entitled The Forgotten Case of Hofrat an Nahas and filed under Making Sense of Sudan, Self-determination.  The last comment at the blog post was posted on January 11, 2010.

So, I scrolled down the page and found the blog post that Google Web Alert had picked up on earlier today.   The blog post by Noah Kodi, entitled The Road of Self-Determination: Where Does It Lead? was posted on Friday, May 29, 2009 and filed under Kordofan, Making Sense of Sudan, Self-determination.   The last comment at the blog post was posted on June 05, 2009.

Re-read Alex's blog post re Hofrat an Nahas, and my blog post at Sudan Watch, May 30, 2006 re Interview with Dr Douglas H Johnson, expert on the Abyei Boundary Commission - Hofre Nahas area; part of Bahr El Ghazal transferred to Darfur in 1960

South Sudan: NCP has accused SPLM of arresting NCP leaders in Central Equatoria, Warrap and Lakes states

Untitled report by Sudan Radio Service, November 23, 2009:

(Khartoum) - The secretary-general of the National Congress Party for Greater Bahr el-Ghazal, Mathew Mayor, has accused the SPLM of arresting NCP leaders in Central Equatoria, Warrap and Lakes states.

[Mathew Mayor]: “The SPLM is arresting our members there. The arrests were carried out in a racial manner. The head of the southern sector, Mrs. Agnes Lokudu, presented a strong protest to the southern Sudan government, urging them to review the situation as soon as possible.”

Mayor urged politicians not to do things that would disrupt the voter registration process because it would affect the implementation of the CPA.

[Mathew Mayor]: “The parties which are not ready [for the elections] think that other parties which are ready want to disrupt the conduct of the elections. We think they are targeting the referendum in southern Sudan because Article 22 of the CPA says that only an elected government can organize the referendum and if elections were not carried out, it means there will be no elected government, hence no referendum will be held as scheduled. This will really affect the south in general.”

Mathew Mayor was speaking to Sudan Radio Service in Khartoum on Sunday.