South Sudan voices alarm over US warning to businesses about the risks of business dealings

NOTE from Sudan Watch Editor: No matter what the UN, US et al want to impose on South Sudan and pressure it into doing in the coming year, Messrs Kiir and Machar are the best and most experienced leaders to steer South Sudan through global recession and peace. Everyone's time could be best spent on working to hold South Sudan together and stop civil war in Sudan.

The last thing South Sudan needs is Americans breathing down its neck and twisting arms for a democracy that doesn't work in Africa. I say, African solutions to African problems! Libya's Col Gaddafi strongly supported a United States of Africa and championed African land for African people!

All African states are members of the African Union.  

Map of the African continent as in 2011-07. -Wikipedia

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From AFP News via The Barron’s Daily

By AFP - Agence France Presse
Dated Tuesday 15 August 2023 - here is a full copy:

S.Sudan Voices Alarm Over US Warning To Businesses

South Sudan voiced alarm on Tuesday over a US warning about the risks of business dealings in the troubled country, which is facing a myriad of problems more than a decade after independence.

The United States and South Sudan's other international partners have been piling pressure on its leaders over their failure to meet a raft of deadlines in the country's transition process.

The government in Juba said it was "seriously alarmed" by the advisory issued on Monday to US businesses in South Sudan.

The US Departments of State, Commerce and Labor warned of "the growing reputational, financial and legal risks" to transactions linked to the government or companies controlled by officials' families.

The advisory called on US businesses to do "due diligence on corruption and human rights issues" and to avoid any dealings that involve South Sudanese officials who are under sanctions.

And it faulted the transitional government for its "failure to adhere to its own laws" including on transparency over oil revenue.

Business dealings could "adversely impact US businesses, individuals, other persons and their operations in South Sudan and the region," it said.

Two-way trade totalled $88 million in 2019 according to US data.

South Sudan's foreign ministry said it respected the right of the US to issue such advisories and acknowledged challenges in the government's efforts to implement a 2018 peace agreement, particularly in economic reforms and public financial management.

But it added: "The government believes that cooperation and partnership are more effective than confrontation and isolation in achieving mutual interests and objectives."

Since becoming the world's youngest nation in 2011 when it achieved independence from Sudan, South Sudan has been bedevilled by crises including a five-year civil war that cost nearly 400,000 lives before a 2018 peace deal was signed.

But the fragile unity government led by President Salva Kiir and his rival and deputy Riek Machar has largely failed to deliver on its promises.

Kiir has vowed to hold South Sudan's first ever presidential poll by the end of 2024 after the government a year ago controversially extended the transition period outlined in the peace deal.

But Western powers accuse him and Machar of dragging their heels in order to cling on to power in one of the poorest and most corrupt countries on the planet.

"There has been neither any meaningful progress since (the extension) nor evidence of political will," the so-called Troika of the United States, Britain and Norway said last week.

"Deadline after deadline has been missed, laws remain unpassed, commissions unformed and implementation bodies unfunded."

The Barron's news department was not involved in the creation of the content above. This story was produced by AFP. For more information go to AFP.com.

View original: https://www.barrons.com/news/s-sudan-voices-alarm-over-us-warning-to-businesses-9e66d19f

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Further reading

Press Release at US Department of Commerce

By Office of Public Affairs

Dated Mon 14 Aug 2023 

US Government Issues a Business Advisory for South Sudan

For more information, see the complete advisory.

View original: https://www.commerce.gov/news/press-releases/2023/08/us-government-issues-business-advisory-south-sudan

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Report at VOA (Voice of America News)

By Henry Wilkins

Dated Thur 17 Aug 2023 2:05 PM - excerpt:

Northern South Sudan's Economy 'Decimated' by Sudan Conflict

Sudan's conflict has caused prices in the border region of neighboring South Sudan to rise sharply, according to local market traders. Meanwhile, the production and export of South Sudanese oil through Sudan, which the World Bank says makes up 90% of the country’s revenue, is being strangled by the conflict too. Henry Wilkins reports from Renk, South Sudan.

See video report: https://www.voanews.com/a/northern-south-sudan-s-economy-decimated-by-sudan-conflict-/7229419.html

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Report at DW (Deutsche Welle)

Why fewer Africans are able to own land

By Martina Schwikowski

Dated 19 Jan 2021 - excerpt:

Research has shown that inequality in access to land is increasing across the African continent. Experts are calling for more rules and controls on the sale of land to counteract poverty.

https://www.dw.com/en/dwindling-number-of-africans-own-land/a-56273543

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Report at land coalition.org

NEW REPORT REVEALS LAND INEQUALITY IS WORSE THAN WE THOUGHT AND IS FUELING OTHER INEQUALITIES

Dated 24 Nov 2020 - excerpt:

The International Land Coalition is a global network of over 250 organisations around the globe working together to put people at the centre of land governance, responding to the needs and protecting the rights of women, men and communities who live on and from the land. For more information, visit: www.landcoatition.org and www.unevenground.org - and  Uneven Ground: land inequality at the heart of unequal societies

https://www.landcoalition.org/en/newsroom/new-report-reveals-land-inequality-worse-we-thought-and-fueling-other-inequalities/

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Agar pleads with SA to intervene in Sudan conflict, calls for international assistance for internal peace

Report from SABC News (South African Broadcasting Corporation)

Published Saturday 15 July 2023, 1:32 PM - here is a full copy:

Sudan’s Vice President calls for international assistance for internal peace

Image: Reuters

Sudanese Transitional Military Council, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo meets leader of Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North, Malik Agar in Juba

The Vice President of Sudan Malik Agar says the international community must assist Sudan to achieve peace. Agar believes that Sudan’s problems are more internal than external.

The ceasefires have failed to yield results, and Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi has now announced that his country will bring the warring factions together.

Speaking exclusively to SABC, Agar, who is in South Africa for consultations with government officials, has called on President Cyril Ramaphosa to redouble his efforts at the African Union to bring peace to that country.

Vice President Malik Agar pleads with SA to intervene in Sudan conflict:

This week, the UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres issued a warning that Sudan has reached a crisis in relation to the escalating conflict in that country.

Agar goes on to describe how peace agreements are being dishonored, which leads to a vicious cycle of violence, as well as how Sudanese diversity is mismanaged. He says there is a lack of a social justice policy, which leads to regional disparities.

The Vice-President acknowledges the presence of foreign elements interfering in Sudan, with diverse objectives such as economics, security, reinvestment, and military interests. He says that the protracted conflict will force the Sudanese people to reconsider their country’s management and reclaim power.

View original: https://www.sabcnews.com/sabcnews/sudans-vice-president-calls-for-international-assistance-for-internal-peace/

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IGAD: Burhan and Hemeti will be held accountable

Report from radiotamazuj.org

Dated Wednesday 17 May 2023 - full copy:

IGAD says belligerent Sudanese generals will be held accountable

IGAD’Executive Secretary Dr. Workneh Gebeyehu (L) and South Sudanese Acting Foreign Minister Deng Dau (R) addressing the press in Juba. (Photo: Radio Tamazuj)

(JUBA CITY) - The regional bloc, Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), on Wednesday, warned that the warring rival generals superintending the fighting in Sudan will be held responsible for ensuring crimes.

Clashes erupted on 15 April in the Sudanese capital Khartoum and other parts of the country between Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) loyal to Gen. Abdel Fataah al-Burhan who is also the country’s de facto leader and his deputy in the sovereign council and leader of the Rapid Support Forces, Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo as a result of a power struggle.

The warning follows talks in Juba between Dr. Workneh Gebeyehu, IGAD’s Executive Secretary, and South Sudan President Salva Kiir Mayardit on Wednesday.

Addressing a press conference at the Juba State House after the talks, Dr. Gebeyehu said the warring parties in Sudan will be held accountable.

“We are working with the International community, United Nations Security Council and African Union, and IGAD as a regional organization that clearly says that all parties are responsible for any atrocities which are going to happen in that country,” he said.

He said history will judge the leaders unless they stop the fighting.

“Also, we stress that they have the responsibility as a citizen of that country and as leaders of that country,” Dr. Gebeyehu said. “History will judge that tomorrow unless otherwise, they decided today to stop this thing. We are working in terms of accountability while we are pushing to bring these parties to the table of discussion.”

Meanwhile, South Sudan's Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs Deng Dayu Dend said IGAD is ready to position all the efforts of its member states to help Sudan end the conflict.

“IGAD is very focused on the issue of cessation of hostilities, on the issue of stopping the current situation in Khartoum and other places and IGAD is ready to position all the efforts of IGAD countries to help this member state,” he said. “This is why the IGAD’s executive secretary has to come personally to meet with His Excellency President Salva Kiir Mayardit.”

In a virtual meeting held on April 16, the IGAD heads of state decided to send the presidents of South Sudan, Kenya, and Djibouti to Khartoum to engage the two belligerent leaders to resume talks about security and military reforms in Sudan.

View original: https://radiotamazuj.org/en/news/article/igad-says-belligerent-sudanese-generals-will-be-held-accountable

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Egypt and South Sudan bear a special responsibility towards Sudan: Soukri in Juba

NOTE from Sudan Watch Editor: Here is news of some swift shuttle diplomacy occurring over 24 hrs on Mon-Tues between Egypt, Chad and South Sudan: Egyptian Foreign Minister Mr Sameh Soukri, considered by many as a lion of diplomacy, delivered a letter in person from Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi to Chadian President Mahamat Idriss Deby in N'Djamena, Chad and then on Tuesday morning he jetted to South Sudan's capital Juba to deliver President El Sisi's letter to South Sudan's President Salva Kiir and to listen to ideas from President Kiir  on ways to strengthen coordination to meet the challenges arising from the Sudanese situation.

Read more in the following report at Ahram Online 

Dated Tuesday 09 May 2023 - full copy including typos:

UPDATED: Egypt and South Sudan bear a special responsibility towards Sudan: Shoukry in Juba

Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Shoukry said that Egypt and South Sudan bear a special responsibility towards Sudan, stressing that the suffering of the brotherly Sudanese people must be alleviated.

Sudanese fleeing conflict put pressure on South Sudan, Egypt: Dau Deng and Shoukry to press. Screenshot

 

Shoukry's comments came during a press conference with South Sudan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Deng Dau Deng in the South Sudan capital Juba on Tuesday.

The two top diplomats talked to reporters after holding a meeting to discuss the ramifications of the ongoing conflict in Sudan on both countries and coordinate efforts to end it.

"Egypt and South Sudan are working to achieve stability in the region," Shoukry told reporters.

For his part, Dau Deng said that "the influx of Sudanese people fleeing violence in their country is putting pressures on its immediate neighbours."

“All international efforts to end the conflict need to be coordinated for the benefit Sudanese people,” Dau Deng said.

The South Sudan top diplomat added that Shoukry’s visit is very crucial to his country since "the two countries have a shared focus on reaching peace in Sudan."

Earlier in the day, Shoukry delivered a message in person from Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi to South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir.

During the press conference, Shoukry noted that he listened to new ideas from President Kiir on ways to strengthen coordination to meet the challenges arising from the Sudanese situation.

“I will convey President Kiir's ideas to President El-Sisi. We will continue to coordinate on ways to resove the crisis as well as deal with its humanitarian impact on both Egypt and South Sudan,” Shoukry said.

President El-Sisi stressed in his message to the President Kiir on the need  to reach a a permanent ceasefire in Sudan, explained Shoukry.

Meanwile, Dau Deng stressed during the press conference that "any continuation of the war in Sudan will put pressure on our countries."

For his part, FM Shoukry noted that Egypt has received 70,000 Sudanese citizens through its southern borders since the start of the conflict in mid-April.

He stressed that the current conflict requires that Sudan’s immediate neighbours consult on a continuous basis to work toward ending the ongoing fighting and ameliorate its impacts on them.

The top Egyptian diplomat also highlighted the importance of taking the necessary actions to coordinate politically or economically for the best interest of both peoples of Egypt and South Sudan.

Shoukry's visit to Juba comes a day after he delivered a letter in person to Chad's President Mahamat Idriss Deby as part of Egyptian shuttle diplomacy to coordinate regional efforts to end the conflict in Sudan.

View original: https://english.ahram.org.eg/News/500394.aspx

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Sudan crisis: Threatens progress on Abyei & borders

Report from UN News

Dated Tuesday 09 May 2023 - excerpt:

Sudan violence threatens fragile cross-border progress with Juba

The impact of ongoing violence among rival military parties in Sudan is threatening to derail bilateral political progress with neighbouring South Sudan, worsen the fragile humanitarian situation, and pose fresh risks, top UN officials warned the Security Council on Tuesday.

“The outbreak of violence in the Sudan may deeply impact the chance for political progress on Abyei and border issues,” Martha Ama Akyaa Pobee, Assistant Secretary-General for Africa in the Departments of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and Peace Operations, told the Council.

Security in Abyei, a disputed oil-rich border region straddling both African nations, had been a point of contention, but agreements had been reached before the outbreak of violence in Sudan on 15 April, she said, providing updates to the UN Secretary-General’s latest report on the unfolding situation.

Read full story: https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/05/1136492

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WFP: 30,000 crossed from Sudan into South Sudan

This tweet by WFP says more than 30,000 people have so far crossed the border from Sudan into South Sudan. There is much flooding in South Sudan as shown in recent Channel 4 News footage posted here a few days ago.

🚩WFP is on the ground and supporting new arrivals in #SouthSudan.

This additional response is putting pressure on an already severely underfunded operation. More than 30,000 people have so far crossed the border from #Sudan into South Sudan. pic.twitter.com/x9QS1Q3fxM

— World Food Programme (@WFP) May 4, 2023

Mineral Resources CEO in white UN plane from S. Kordofan to S. Sudan at invite of Juba agreed by SAF?

NOTE from Sudan Watch Editor: I don't know Jon Hutson or what this tweet thread is about. It looks strange. What's brewing in South Sudan, I wonder.

🧵#SudanUpdate: Sudanese Mineral Resources Co. chief Mubarek Ardol, flanked by bodyguards, flew in a white UN plane from Kadugli, capital of Sudan's South Kordofan State to Wau, South Sudan at approximately 1:00pm on May 2, at the invitation of Juba and with the agreement of SAF. pic.twitter.com/YLLHCAirNy

— Jon Hutson (@JonHutson) May 3, 2023

Darfur war leader Abdul Wahid Nur is in South Sudan

NOTE from Sudan Watch Editor: A day after I mentioned Abdul Wahid Nur's name here, I go to sleep and wake up to find him in this news report by AFP.

He’s 55. 20 years ago he and his gormless gang along with a more intelligent and ruthless JEM gang started the Darfur war. Tintin springs to mind here. 

AFP's report says he is now based in Juba, South Sudan but doesn't say how he funds his work-free life, travel, hotel rooms, fancy clothes, family if any.

France & Germany host Darfur rebels. Maybe supporters pay for him to laze around Paris, save his skin, drink beer, visit Israel. He makes my foot itch. 

The report is copied here in full to show the standard of his chat. Note that he states the obvious saying Sudanese people want a civilian government. 

He rarely visits Darfur as support for him has dwindled. He has delusions of becoming president of Sudan or Darfur or anywhere that'll have him. 

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Report from Yahoo News

By Agence France-Presse (AFP)

Dated Thursday 4 May 2023, 11:24 am BST - full copy:

'No winner' in Sudan war: exiled Darfur rebel leader

Sudanese exiled rebel leader Abdel Wahid Nur -- a veteran of decades of fighting in the troubled Darfur region -- says there can be "no winner" in the war now raging between two rival generals.

"The Sudanese people want neither of them," Nur, now based in neighbouring South Sudan, told AFP. "They want a civilian government."

Battles have flared for weeks between Sudan's army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his former deputy, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, who commands the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

"What's happening in Sudan is a disaster," Nur, 55, said in an interview in Juba, the capital of South Sudan, where he lives after spending years in Paris.

"There is no winner in this war," said the leader of a faction of the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) whose members, he said, have not joined the fighting.

The battles have turned Khartoum into a war zone and also killed scores in Darfur, which Nur said once more suffers "war crimes and crimes against humanity".

Nur was a leader of the Darfur rebellion from 2003 when African minority groups rose up against Arab elites they accused of monopolising Sudan's political power and wealth.

The Islamist-backed strongman then in power, Omar al-Bashir, unleashed the notorious Janjaweed militias, the forerunners of the RSF, whose atrocities shocked the world.

The unrest killed at least 300,000 people and displaced 2.5 million, according to the UN. The bloodshed led to international charges of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes against Bashir and others.

Although Darfur's conflict subsided over the years, the region remains awash with weapons and sporadic violence erupts, often over access to water, land and resources.

- 'Hands of oppression' -

Sudan's military ousted Bashir in April 2019 following mass pro-democracy protests, and Burhan has been the de facto leader since then.

Daglo, from Darfur's pastoralist camel-herding Arab Rizeigat people, rose to prominence with the Janjaweed, which made up the bulk of the RSF formed in 2013.

In October 2021, Burhan and his then number-two Daglo jointly staged another coup that upended the country's fragile transition to civilian rule.

The two generals then engaged in a power struggle, most recently over the RSF's integration into the regular army, which has now flared into bloody violence.

"The two bodies fighting now once acted as Bashir's hands of oppression," said Nur.

"The army and Burhan personally supervised the making of the Janjaweed," he said, adding that his own movement opposes both and only fights "oppression".

Nur described the conflict as the expected outcome of a "political struggle that became militarised".

The current fighting has killed more than 550 people, wounded thousands and sent more than 100,000 fleeing abroad.

In West Darfur state, the UN says, the hostilities "have triggered intercommunal violence", which have seen many deaths and accounts of rampant looting and burning of property.

- Ambition to rule -

Nur's SLM faction refused to sign a 2020 peace deal with Sudan's short-lived transitional government installed following Bashir's ouster.

It charged that the accord, signed by other rebel groups, failed to address the root causes of Sudan's conflicts.

Nur said his movement had however observed "a unilateral ceasefire since Bashir's ouster and have since committed to it" to give a chance to the planned transition to civilian rule.

Nur belongs to the ethnic Fur tribe in Darfur, and analysts believe his faction still maintains considerable support.

A report last year by UN experts said Nur's faction was among Darfuri armed groups "receiving payments and logistical support" in exchange for sending mercenaries to strife-torn Libya.

The UN experts, in 2020, also said Nur's group had strengthened its miliary capability following the discovery of gold in its area.

Nur rejects the allegations and says he does not support either side in the current war, stressing that his fighters play no role in it.

Nur said the conflict reflects the two generals' ambitions to rule Sudan but is only "increasing the suffering" of the people, especially in Darfur.

In a country with a history of military coups, Burhan and Daglo have each touted themselves as champions of democracy seeking to restore the transition to civilian rule.

Nur, recalling the mass youth-led protests that led to Bashir's overthrow, said the Sudanese people reject both of them.

"I don't think they will ever accept military rule," he said.

bur/it/fz

View original: https://uk.news.yahoo.com/no-winner-sudan-war-exiled-102413405.html?guccounter=1

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Canada suspends Sudan consular services as diplomats evacuated to “temporarily work from a safe location outside the country” to help citizens in Sudan

Report from THE CANADIAN PRESS

By Dylan Robertson, The Canadian Press

Sunday 23 April 2023 12:30 p.m. - full copy:

Canada suspends Sudan consular services as diplomats evacuated

More than 420 people killed, thousands injured in conflict between government and paramilitary group

Smoke is seen in Khartoum, Sudan, Saturday, April 22, 2023. The fighting in the capital between the Sudanese Army and Rapid Support Forces resumed after an internationally brokered cease-fire failed. Ottawa has suspended consular services in Sudan as reports merge of allied countries evacuating Canadian diplomats. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Marwan Ali

Canada suspended consular services in Sudan on Sunday (April 23) amid reports of allied countries evacuating Canadian diplomats and as armed conflict escalates in the East-African country.

Global Affairs Canada said Canadian diplomats would “temporarily work from a safe location outside the country” while still trying to help citizens in Sudan.

The Associated Press reports that more than 420 people, including 264 civilians, have been killed and over 3,700 wounded in the fighting between the Sudanese armed forces and the powerful paramilitary group known as the Rapid Support Forces, or RSF.

Those deaths occurred in just nine days after power-sharing negotiations between the two groups deteriorated.

Global Affairs said there were 1,596 Canadian citizens formally registered as being in Sudan as of Saturday.

But Nicholas Coghlan, Canada’s former top envoy to Sudan, said in a Sunday interview that the number is likely “considerably higher,” with many being dual nationals.

He said many Canadians abroad see registering as a needless hassle, while others believe their information will be shared with other branches of government such as the Canada Revenue Agency, despite laws preventing such data transfers.

Coghlan was also Canada’s first ambassador to South Sudan when it separated from that country in 2011, and he oversaw an evacuation of citizens after a civil war broke out in 2013.

At that time, less than 20 Canadian citizens were registered in South Sudan, but roughly 140 ended up being evacuated in less than a week.

Canada first evacuated those easily reachable in the capital of Juba who wanted to leave, and then worked to identify others and get them onto roughly weekly flights operated by one of Canada’s allies.

The ongoing situation in Sudan is likely different, Coghlan said, because the clashing forces are deliberately targeting airports as strategic locations in a turf war.

The Associated Press reports that fighting at the country’s main international airport in the capital city of Khartoum has destroyed civilian planes and damaged at least one runway.

Canada’s embassy sits near that airport, making it one of the most dangerous areas in the country, Coghlan said.

The New York Times reported Sunday that U.S. special forces evacuated six Canadian diplomats, along with 70 American diplomats and some from other countries.

The BBC, meanwhile, reported Canadians were among a group evacuated by sea to Saudi Arabia. Global Affairs did not immediately confirm those reports.

Overland travel through contested areas has proven dangerous. Khartoum is about 840 kilometres from Port Sudan, on the Red Sea. Both the country’s militias have accused each other of obstructing evacuations.

Coghlan said Sunday’s announced suspension of consular services means Canadian citizens who need emergency passports to leave Sudan likely have no chance of getting them, because Ottawa deemed it too risky to keep a scaled-down operation running in the country.

He said many dual nationals likely have expired passports or insufficient paperwork to get on a flight.

Some registered Canadians likely work for the United Nations or aid organizations, who can help extract them, but many will be private citizens with family ties to Sudan who will be left to their own devices.

Reports from Sudan’s Arqin border crossing with Egypt suggest 30 packed coaches were trying to reach safety.

Sudan experienced a “near-total collapse” of countrywide internet and phone connections Sunday, according to the monitoring service NetBlocks.

Coghlan said many Sudanese will likely feel let down by western countries, particularly those critical of how the world handled the heads of the two duelling forces ever since an October 2021 coup d’état.

“The signal that’s been sent there is (that) there is a perception of people leaving the sinking ship,” he said,

“That’s how it looks, a sense of abandonment, for sure.”

The federal government is not evacuating its locally hired Sudanese staff, saying it is “looking at all possible options to support them.”

Coghlan said the issue of how to handle locals is always sensitive.

“The harsh reality is they are typically left to their own devices,” he said.

“That’s controversial within Global Affairs (Canada), out of a sense that we depend on these people 100 per cent.”

Last summer, the Liberals came under fire over allegations that Canada did not heed intelligence warnings about the safety of its Ukraine embassy’s locally engaged staff ahead of Russia’s February 2022 full-scale invasion. The allegations, which have not been proven, include claims that other western countries had evacuated Ukrainians listed as targets by Moscow.

Coghlan said the current Sudan conflict, unlike the Ukraine invasion and the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, does not have a focus on western policy.

He stressed that situation is dynamic and he does not have the full facts surrounding Ottawa’s choice to pull out diplomats and end consular services.

“The minister had a very hard decision to make here,” he said. “It’s very easy to be an armchair quarterback on this.”

READ ALSO: Why Sudan’s conflict matters to the rest of the world

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View original:

https://www.westerlynews.ca/news/canada-suspends-sudan-consular-services-as-diplomats-evacuated/

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