S. Sudan: Govt of national unity will be formed Nov. 12

Article from Middle East Monitor.com

Dated Friday 06 September 2019 8:26 pm

South Sudan to form transitional government on Nov. 12

South Sudan’s transitional government of national unity will be formed on Nov. 12, officials said Friday [06 Sep], Anadolu reports.

“The government is delivering and implementation of the agreement is going on well,” Information Minister Michael Makuei Lueth told reporters after a Cabinet meeting in the capital Juba.

“We are delivering and by Nov. 12 the revitalized transitional government will be established as in the extended agreement,” he said.

Lueth said the government also urged a group of opposition leaders who met in the Netherlands last week to abandon their “anti-peace” plans.

He said they should “join the peace agreement instead of going around and causing unnecessary havoc and suffering to the people of South Sudan.”

South Sudan slid into crisis when President Salva Kiir sacked Riek Machar as vice president in December 2013 on suspicion of plotting a coup, followed by a protracted civil war that claimed the lives of tens of thousands and forced 4 million people to flee their homes.

Before a 2018 peace deal, five years of fighting between the two leaders crippled the country, with millions displaced and almost 400,000 people dead from violence and disease.

Further reading: South Sudanese urged to stop war, focus on peace 

View original: https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20190906-south-sudan-to-form-transitional-government-on-nov-12/

S. Sudan: IGAD urges Kiir to pay out peace deal funds

Note from Sudan Watch Editor: Who knows where the funds are sitting, maybe used to pay the soldiers and civil servants who were not paid for six months. These two men seem shameless, pity IGAD can't put them on trial for corruption.  They are ex-rebels with much blood on their hands, they could not care less about 7M South Sudanese people facing humanitarian catastrophe, 2M facing starvation from famine.  

Photo: Nektarios Markogiannis/UNMISS

President Salva Kiir, right, of South Sudan shakes hands with Riek Machar after concluding a peace deal to end the conflict in the country in September 2018.

Article from The East African (Nairobi)

By John Adukata

Dated 22 August 2019

South Sudan: IGAD Urges Kiir to Disburse Peace Deal Funds

Regional bloc Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (Igad) has asked South Sudan President Salva Kiir to disburse the balance of the pledged $100 million to speed up the implementation of the peace agreement.

Igad, which brokered the peace agreement, urged Juba "to be transparent and put in place accountability mechanisms in the use of funds for the implementation of the peace agreement."

The bloc also called on rival leaders -- President Kiir and Riek Machar -- to set a face-to face meeting to resolve outstanding issues.

The government had earlier pledged to release the funds towards the deal's implementation but cash is yet to be paid out.

The Reconstituted Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (RJMEC) reported that between April and July, only $6.5 million had been disbursed for security arrangements.

South Sudan has been under pressure from the international community to use oil revenue to finance the peace process.

Read the original article on East African - https://allafrica.com/stories/201908230002.html

£18M UK aid for South Sudan’s humanitarian catastrophe: 7M need aid, 2M on brink of famine

SOUTH SUDAN is a humanitarian catastrophe and vulnerable people face the daily threat of starvation.  There are currently 7 million people in need of humanitarian assistance and nearly 2 million people on the brink of famine in South Sudan, where food insecurity is at its worst level in the past 8 years.  Hundreds of thousands of people in South Sudan will receive lifesaving food and water thanks to new UK aid. 

Press Release

From UK Department for International Development (DFID)

Dated Wednesday 14 August 2019

UK aid to provide vital food to hundreds of thousands of people living on the edge of famine in South Sudan 

LONDON, United Kingdom, August 14, 2019/APO Group/ -- Minister for Africa, Andrew Stephenson announced an extra £18 million of UK aid on his first visit in his new role, which will be given to trusted partners to help vulnerable families in desperate need.

There are currently 7 million people in need of humanitarian assistance and nearly 2 million people on the brink of famine in South Sudan, where food insecurity is at its worst level in the past 8 years.

Minister Stephenson called on the Government of South Sudan and other parties involved in the conflict to stop obstructing the delivery of aid and step up efforts to help the millions of malnourished children, families and communities get access to vital supplies.

He also called on the Government to accelerate progress on the peace process, including security sector reform, establishing an open dialogue with opposition leader Riek Machar and delivering on the $100 million they pledged to help achieve peace.

Minister for Africa, Andrew Stephenson said:

South Sudan is a humanitarian catastrophe and vulnerable people face the daily threat of starvation.

I have seen first-hand that UK aid is saving lives and today’s step up in support will deliver urgently needed food, water and health services to hundreds of thousands of people.

We call on the Government of South Sudan to immediately lift all humanitarian access restrictions and to commit more resources to provide basic services such as health and education to give people hope for the future.

With just three months until the formation of the transitional government, time is running out. Significant effort and compromise are required to fully implement the peace agreement.

While in South Sudan, Minister Stephenson visited the World Food Programme’s warehouse in Juba to see first-hand how UK aid is helping save the lives of people who have fled conflict.

He also visited the Juba Protection of Civilian’s camp to learn about the key challenges of displacement in the country, as well as meeting with British soldiers deployed to the UN Peacekeeping mission there.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Department for International Development (DFID).

SOURCE:  https://www.africa-newsroom.com/press/uk-aid-to-provide-vital-food-to-hundreds-of-thousands-of-people-living-on-the-edge-of-famine-in-south-sudan?lang=en

Kiir, UK Minister for Africa Andrew Stephenson discuss implementation of South Sudan peace accord

Article from and by Sudan Tribune

Published Wednesday 14 August 2019

Kiir, British minister discuss implementation of peace accord

August 13, 2019 (JUBA) - South Sudan’s President, Salva Kiir and the British Foreign Office Minister for Africa, Andrew Stephenson on Tuesday to discuss the implementation of the 2018 peace accord.

The British Foreign Office Minister for Africa, Andrew Stephenson shaking hands with President Salva Kiir in Juba, August 13, 2019 (PPU)

The meeting took place in the South Sudanese capital, Juba.

The two leaders, president’s office said, discussed several issues, including the progress in the implementation of the revitalized peace deal and strengthening bilateral ties between the two nations.

"Andrew reiterated the United Kingdom’s commitment towards supporting the government and the people of South Sudan in achieving lasting peace and development for the country," partly reads the statement from the presidency.

Stephenson is expected to meet other senior government officials and also visit British-funded projects in the world’s youngest nation.

Last month, the Troika, of which Britain is a member alongside Norway and United State, called for immediate implementation of South Sudan’s peace agreement signed in September last year.

The Troika, in a statement issued, also reaffirmed their full commitment to the peace process in the war-hit East African nation.

South Sudan plunged into civil war in December 2013 when President Salva Kiir accused the country’s former vice-president, Riek Machar, of plotting a coup.

In September last year, however, South Sudan’s arch-rivals signed a revitalized peace agreement to end the country’s civil war that has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced more than 2 million.

The country’s rival parties, in May, agreed on a six-month extension to implement next steps in the fragile peace agreement. The latest extension came after the main opposition group threatened to boycott formation of a unity government on May 12.

Visit original article here: http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article67936

South Sudan army, NAS rebels clash near Juba

THE National Salvation Front (NAS), formed by ex-general Thomas Cirillo Swaka in 2017 who called for the toppling of South Sudan's President Salva Kiir’s government, said it had come under attack last Tuesday. 

NAS refused to sign a peace deal signed in September last year. While peace has largely held across the country, fighting has continued between government troops and the NAS in the Central Equatoria region, particularly around the city of Yei. 

A UNMISS report identified government forces, fighters allied to Riek Machar, Mr Kiir's former deputy who was sacked by Mr Kiir in 2013 [https://sudanwatch.blogspot.com/2013/07/] and rebel groups who did not sign the peace agreement, as responsible for atrocities in their quest to take territory in Central Equatoria. Full story below.

Article by AFP

Date: 24 July 2019

South Sudan army, rebels clash near Juba

Efforts to achieve lasting peace in South Sudan were dealt a blow on Tuesday when fighting broke out between government forces and militants near the country’s capital, Juba.

Security was stepped up in Juba, according to an AFP correspondent, as the clashes broke out 50 miles (100 kilometres) away in Lobonok, the first such fighting since the signing of the peace deal in September.

The National Salvation Front (NAS), formed by ex-general Thomas Cirillo Swaka in 2017 who called for the toppling of President Salva Kiir’s government, said it had come under attack on Tuesday morning.

NAS refused to sign a peace deal signed in September last year.

In a statement the NAS said it had killed eight “enemy soldiers”, which could not be independently confirmed.

“NAS command at Lobonok is expecting more attacks,” said the statement.

Lobonok is near Cirillo’s home town and has long been a stronghold for the rebel group.

The last fighting in the area took place in June 2018.

“Since morning we didn’t access our commanders on ground [in Lobonok] and we have no latest information there,” Lul Ruai Koang, South Sudan’s military spokesman told AFP.

However soldiers were deployed in Juba, carrying out more security checks than usual, said AFP’s correspondent.

Pursuit of peace

South Sudan’s government in September reached a peace deal with the main opposition unit of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement but the NAS rejected the deal.

While peace has largely held across the country, fighting has continued between government troops and the NAS in the Central Equatoria region, particularly around the city of Yei.

The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) said earlier this month that civilians had been “deliberately and brutally targeted” in Central Equatoria since the agreement was inked in September.

At least 104 people had been killed in attacks on villages in the southern region, it said.

A roughly similar number of women and girls were raped or suffered other sexual violence between September and April, UNMISS said in its latest human rights report.

South Sudan descended into war in 2013 when President Salva Kiir accused his former deputy and fellow former rebel leader Riek Machar of plotting a coup.

The conflict has been marked by ethnic violence and brutal atrocities, and left about 380,000 dead while some four million have fled their homes.

The report identified government forces, fighters allied to Machar and rebel groups who did not sign the peace agreement, as responsible for atrocities in their quest to take territory in Central Equatoria.

Under the peace deal, Kiir agreed to set up a unity government with Machar, who is to return from exile.

But this new government, initially scheduled to take office on May 12, was postponed for six months.

SOURCE: https://www.africanews.com/2019/07/24/south-sudan-army-rebels-clash-near-juba/

ICC: Violence against civilians in Darfur Sudan must stop and all ICC Darfur suspects must stand trial

UN Photo/Olivier Chassot

Report from UN News.org

19 June 2019

‘Now is the time to act’ for victims of violence in Sudan, ICC Prosecutor urges UN Security Council

The UN Security Council must “seize this moment” presented by the current turmoil in Sudan, to provide justice at long last for the victims of violence in Darfur, and those who have suffered at the hands of the brutal military crackdown earlier this month.  

That is according to the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Fatou Bensouda, who said she had a “clear message to convey: now is the time to act. Now is the time for the people of Sudan to choose law, over impunity, and ensure that the ICC suspects in the Darfur situation, finally face justice in a court of law.” 

She said the Council now had a “unique opportunity to decisively and effectively” address the wrongs committed by the security forces aligned with former President Omar al-Bashir in the Darfur region between 2003-2008, when around 300,000 were killed and 2.7 million civilians driven from their homes, according to UN figures.  

She called for the immediate cessation of violence against civilians in the capital Khartoum and elsewhere, since the 3 June wave of attacks against protesters calling for a return to civilian rule, in opposition to the ruling Transitional Military Council (TMC). 

All arrest warrants for the five suspects charged with the grave crimes within the ICC’s remit – genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity – remain outstanding, she told members. Both deposed president Bashir, and two others, are now said to be in custody she said and are legally obliged to be transferred by the TMC. Only if they could show willing to prosecute them for the same crimes, could they remain in Sudan, she said. 

SOURCE: https://news.un.org/en/story/2019/06/1040841

South Sudan votes for first time in a generation

South Sudan votes for first time in a generation
From Associated Press by Jason Straziuso, Friday, 9 April 2010:

JUBA, Sudan — The election posters and slogan-filled T-shirts blanketing this town underscore a new excitement in Southern Sudan, which will cast ballots in a national election for the first time in more than two decades, when a three-day election begins Sunday.

Despite the first-in-a-generation vote, though, most people are already looking past the weekend ballot to a vote in January considered far more significant: a referendum on independence that could signal the birth of a new African nation, if final negotiations with Khartoum over oil rights and the location of the border are worked out peacefully.

"Southerners are going to vote for independence. We cannot say if they (Khartoum) will accept it," said Peter Yien, a 28-year-old who lives in Akobo, a southeastern town on the border with Ethiopia that is suffering a severe food shortage because of tribal conflict and a lack of rain.

The roots of a young democracy have taken place this election cycle, at least in the south's capital of Juba, which has seen candidate rallies, voter education drives and political speeches for the first time in years. Daniel Deng, the founder of the Deng Foundation, a voter education group, held a rally this week in Juba to raise voter awareness.

"I will be voting for the first time, and I don't think my mom or dad has ever voted in their lives. We have lived in this country like aliens, forgotten. Now we have a chance to be part of something," Deng said, before quickly adding that the independence vote next year was more important: "Let's get it out of the way and then move forward to the referendum."

Salva Kiir Mayardit, the south's president and Sudan's first vice president, held a final rally in Juba under a still-fiery evening sun Thursday to muted cheers from about 1,000 people. Earlier in the day he said the south was running the "final lap of our journey toward the referendum."

"My key message throughout the campaigns has been the maintenance of peace and stability throughout the country," Mayardit told a news conference. "Since the signing of the CPA (Comprehensive Peace Agreement) the lives of our people have changed tremendously from worse to better, and no amount of intimidation can drag us back to war."

The CPA, a U.S.-backed peace treaty, ended the north-south war in 2005, setting in motion both the elections and the referendum. The last time the south voted in national elections was 1986. The balloting is to elect a president, national parliament and provincial parliaments and governors.

The south's dominant party, the Sudan People's Liberation Movement, or SPLM, is not running a candidate against Sudan President Omar al-Bashir. Some candidates in the SPLM's northern wing are boycotting the election, but candidates in the south are proceeding. Most here agree that the south is only trying to successfully get through the election and move on to the referendum.

"The language I tend to use in this regard is that elections are the end game in the north and the referendum is the end game in the south," said Zach Vertin, an analyst with the International Crisis Group.

"That's not to say there isn't any interest in the election. It's also important within the south. You can see the beginning of democracy here. Southerners and a lot of the parties deserve credit for engaging in the democratic process."

The oil-rich south is a mainly Christian and animist region. The predominantly Muslim north has ruled for decades, and 50 years of civil war between north and south killed 2 million people. The separate conflict in Darfur erupted in 2003, when ethnic African tribes rose up complaining of discrimination by the Arab-led government in Khartoum.

A U.N. report on the outlook for 2010 said that a worst-case scenario for the country would see north-south clashes ignite along the border, triggering inter-tribal conflict. The U.N. report also predicts severe food shortages this year that could affect the referendum. More than 4 million people in Southern Sudan will need food aid this year.

The newly born democratic process in Juba has included candidate forums, which attracted a couple hundred people earlier this week. The president has been flying around Southern Sudan advertising his platform, which includes giving more rights and educational opportunities to women. Candidate posters are plastered over telephone poles and store fronts.

But the election in the whole of Sudan is beset with problems. Susan Rice, the U.S. ambassador to the U.N., said this week that signs on the ground were "very disturbing," and said that much was awry with the electoral process. Her comments came after former Sudanese Prime Minister Sadiq al-Mahdi's Umma party announced it will boycott the election. Several of Sudan's biggest opposition parties have withdrawn from the race.

A report from the International Crisis Group last month said Sudan's election would suffer from electoral fraud, including ballot stuffing and voter registration gerrymandering. The report also predicted return to conflict between the north and the south if the vote on independence is not held next year.

Friends standing alongside Yien in the eastern town of Akobo agreed that was possible.

"War? No, not war. We will talk," said Peter Toi, 28.

"We will see," Nyak Pan Deng, 33, quickly interjected. "No one can say war or no war now."

Photo: South Sudan's President Salva Kiir walks out of a car before a rally in Bentiu, Unity state, south Sudan April 8, 2010. (Reuters/Goran Tomasevic)



Photo: South Sudan's President Salva Kiir walks during a rally in Bentiu, Unity state, south Sudan April 8, 2010. (Reuters/Goran Tomasevic)



Photo: South Sudan's President Salva Kiir (centre L) and South Sudan Vice President Riek Machar stand during a rally in Bentiu, Unity state, south Sudan April 8, 2010. (Reuters/Goran Tomasevic)



Photo: Supporters of South Sudan's President Salva Kiir dance during a rally in Bentiu, Unity state, south Sudan April 8, 2010. (Reuters/Goran Tomasevic)

Security situation in Darfur 31 March 2010 - UNAMID JSR meets with SLM leader Abdul Wahid Al-Nur in Paris, France

Quotes of the Day

“We have just arrived from Khartoum. We have been involved in a lot of activities pertaining to the election itself. I have just come from briefing the president of GoSS. I want to assure you that the elections are on. There has been debate lately, sometimes even misquoting the SPLM. We are committed to the elections as scheduled by the NEC. We want to assure you that the process, for which this PPC process will be very useful, is on. Let me repeat, the elections are on.” - Vice President of the Government of Southern Sudan, Riek Machar, Juba, southern Sudan, 31 March 2010 (Source: Alex de Waal's blog, Making Sense of Sudan - Political Parties Council in Juba)

“SPLM is our strategic ally; SLM is not competing with the SPLM. The SPLM is the leading force for change in Sudan, and we need to remain allies” - SLM Chairman Abdul Wahid Al-Nur, Washington, DC, 22 July 2008 (Source: GOSS Mission-USA, copy here below).

THIS blog, Sudan Watch, refers to Abdul Wahid Mohamed Al-Nur as leader of SLM, not SLA. Click on SLM-Nur label here below to view previous reports. Sometime in the future, I hope to label all blogposts stored in the archives of Sudan Watch, Uganda Watch and Congo Watch.

Once all of the posts have been labelled, readers will be able to see, at a glance, how Cdr. Al-Nur repeats the same nonsense (see report here below) over and over, like a parrot. Who is priming and paying him and what is France and Russia's role in the battle for Darfur, I wonder.

Note that Cdr. Al-Nur directs the Darfur war from Paris and wants to become president of Sudan without facing election. Who knows if it is true that he has many supporters in Darfur? Maybe he is a coward and doesn't want to know.

Also, copied here below, for the record, is a press release from the official website of GOSS Mission-USA regarding Luka Biong Deng's meeting with Cdr. Al-Nur in Washington, D.C. on 22 July 2008, plus some related reports for future reference.

UNAMID Daily Media Brief / 2010-03-30
EL FASHER (DARFUR), Sudan, March 31, 2010/APO)

Security situation in Darfur
The security situation in Darfur remains relatively calm.

UNAMID military forces conducted 102 patrols including routine, short range, long range, night, and Humanitarian escort patrols, covering 101 villages and Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps during the reporting period.

UNAMID police advisors also conducted 166 patrols in villages and IDP camps.

UNAMID JSR meets with SLA-AW leader
On 28 March, UNAMID Joint Special Representative (JSR) Ibrahim Gambari met in Paris with Abdul Wahid Mohammed Al-Nour, leader of the Sudan Liberation Army-Abdul Wahid (SLA-AW) faction, as a follow up to their earlier meeting on 21 March. The SLA-AW leader reiterated his commitment to peace if certain conditions on the ground were met and indicated that he would be willing to participate in the peace process anywhere, ‘even in Khartoum,’ if those conditions are met, particularly regarding the security of the people of Darfur.

The SLA leader promised not to obstruct UNAMID’s activities in Darfur and to facilitate its access and those of humanitarian organizations to areas in which his movement is present. JSR Gambari expressed hope that SLM-AW will join the peace process in the not-too-distant future. Both men agreed to remain in close contact.

- - -

H.E. Dr. Luka Biong Deng Meets with Cdr. Abdul Wahid Al-Nur
Tuesday, 22 July 2008
Press Release
Source: GOSS Mission-USA
Date: 22 July 2008
Location: Washington, DC

The Minister of Presidential Affairs of the Government of Southern Sudan and Member of the SPLM National Liberation Council, H.E. Dr. Luka Biong Deng met with the Chairman of Sudan’s Liberation Movement, Cdr. Abdul Wahid Mohamed Al-Nur


Photo: Dr. Luka Biong Deng



Photo: Abdul Wahid Al-Nur

The Minister of Presidential Affairs of the Government of Southern Sudan and Member of the SPLM National Liberation Council, H.E. Dr. Luka Biong Deng and Mr. Ezekiel Lol Gatkuoth, the Head of the Government of Southern Sudan Mission to the United States, Member of the SPLM National Liberation Council, and the SPLM Representative to the United States met with the Chairman of Sudan’s Liberation Movement, Cdr. Abdul Wahid Mohamed Al-Nur on Saturday July 19, 2008 in the Capital of the United States. The Minister was wrapping up a week long official trip to the United States.

The two discussed a wide range of issues including: the importance of the resumption of cooperation between the SPLM and the SLM, leveraging Abdul Wahid’s popular support in Darfur towards finding a satisfactory and sustainable political resolution to the Darfur Conflict, The SPLM Roadmap for Darfur, and the challenges and opportunities of the current political crisis in the country that resulted from ICC’s approval of an Arrest Warrant for the President of the Republic of Sudan, Omer El Bashir.

According to H.E. Dr. Luka Biong Deng, the rift that now exists between the Sudan’s Liberation Movement (SLM) and The Sudan’s People Liberation Movement (SPLM) after the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) has been created by overt political propaganda that has depicted the SLM as an extremist force and the SPLM as a moderate one.

“SPLM is our strategic Ally; SLM is not competing with the SPLM. The SPLM is the leading force for change in Sudan, and we need to remain allies”, said Chairman Abdul Whaid Al-Nur. He stressed the need for discussions between the two movements around the SPLM Roadmap for Darfur in order to settle points of difference to begin a process of cooperation and coordination between two movements. Cdr. Al-Nur also emphasized the importance of the establishment of direct channels of communication between the respective Leadership of the SLM and SPLM.

In the spirit of comradeship and solidarity that was present throughout their hour long meeting, H.E. Dr. Luka Biong and Cdr. Abdul Wahid Al-Nur parted with the resolve to act expeditiously on issues of agreement and the commitment to discuss the SPLM Roadmap for the resolution of the Darfur Crisis. Furthermore, Cdr. Abdul Wahid committed to a meeting with the Chairman of the SPLM, General Salva Kiir Mayardit.

- - -

Related reports



Photo: A picture taken on August 13, 2007 shows the leader of Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) Abdel Wahid Mohammed Nur addressing journalists after a meeting with Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade at Wade’s residence in Paris (AFP/Sudan Watch archives)

SLM Abdel Wahid al-Nur declares his aim is to become President of Sudan
Sudan Watch - Jul 25, 2006
Here is the answer to my question about Minnawi and Nur: if Minni Minnawi takes up the top position in Darfur, what becomes of his rival Abdel Wahid al-Nur? UN SGSR Jan Pronk, in his latest blog entry, reveals that this week, Abdel Wahid al-Nur declared that his aim is to become President of Sudan. Note also, Mr Pronk confirms JEM's aim is not peace but power in Khartoum ...

Darfur commanders impeach President of SLM/A Abdel Wahid Mohamed Ahmed Nur
Sudan Tribune - Aug 01, 2006
July 31, 2006 (PARIS) - Military commanders of Sudan Liberation Movement known as Abdelwahid al-Nur Faction dismissed Abdelwahid al-Nur from the leadership of the movement, a press release said ...

Sudan’s SPLM unveils roadmap to counter ICC move
Sudan Tribune - ‎Aug 13, 2008
August 13, 2008 (KHARTOUM) - A high ranking Sudan People’s Liberation Movement official unveiled the content of a roadmap presented by his party to the National Congress Party‎ ...

US official says Darfur's Nur forfeited peace opportunity
Sudan Tribune - ‎Mar 13, 2010‎
March 13, 2010 (DOHA) - The leader of Sudan Liberation Movement Abdel-Wahid Mohamed Nur has wasted a "historical" opportunity to join the peace talks and ...

Back to bloody square-one in Darfur
Daily Star - Lebanon - Julie Flint - ‎Mar 15, 2010‎
I learned about it when Abdul Wahid Mohammad al-Nur, the chairman of the rebel Sudan Liberation Army (SLA), called me by satellite telephone to invite me to ...

SLM chief Abdulwahid al-Nur explains why he won't join Darfur Sudan peace talks
SRS - Sudan Radio Service - Mar 16, 2010
In an interview with SRS from Paris on Monday, Abdulwahid al-Nur said peace is not about the distribution of political influence.
Over the weekend, the US Special Envoy to Sudan, Scott Gration, told the press in Doha that al-Nur has wasted a "historic" opportunity to join the peace talks. In response, al-Nur described Gration as a colonizer who ignores the conflict in Darfur ...

UN to probe attack on peacekeepers in South Darfur
Sudan Tribune - ‎Mar 26, 2010‎
The area was the theatre of heavy fighting between the rebel Sudan Liberation Movement led by Abdel Wahid Al-Nur (SLM/AW), and the regular army and militias ...

Darfur rebels say shot down Sudan helicopters
Reuters - Andrew Heavens, Khaled Abdelaziz - ‎Mar 28, 2010‎
The insurgents' Paris-based leader Abdel Wahed Mohamed al-Nur is refusing to negotiate with Khartoum, and dismissed a ceasefire signed last month between ...

Two key Darfur rebel groups warn against holding April vote
Sudan Tribune - ‎Mar 31, 2010‎ - extract:

March 30, 2010 (PARIS) - The Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) led by Abdel-Wahid Al-Nur and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) today joined the calls for delaying the vote. "Any elections held now under these circumstances will deem them meaningless and will not achieve the desired outcome of stabilizing country and transforming it to a democratic one," Al-Nur told Sudan Tribune today. [...]

JEM, which is currently engaged in peace talks with Khartoum, echoed Al-Nur’s call saying that the "bare minimum standards" for holding them should exist stressing that the bulk of Darfuri population has not been registered in the census or the voter registration process.

"Excluding [Darfuris] from participation in shaping the future of their country through the ballot box at this critical juncture of the history of the country would weaken their sense of belonging, and works to amplify the voice of the advocates of self-determination for Darfur" according to a statement signed by JEM spokesperson Ahmed Hussein Adam.

JEM slammed the "arrogance" of the NCP in dealing with other political powers saying it does not help building the "national consensus".

"Holding elections in April places obstacles before the peace talks process, and in particular the power sharing portion. Prioritizing the conducting of elections over achieving peace offers conclusive evidence that the NCP does give much care to peace, and unable to depart from the selfish interests of party loyalty to the supreme national interest".

JEM leader Khalil Ibrahim during meeting with Sudanese presidential adviser Ghazi Salah Al-Deen in Ndjamena refused to finalize a ceasefire agreement unless he reaches an agreement on the power sharing with the government. Khartoum rejects to give his group a vice-presidency and to postpone elections ...

UNMIS & MONUC to reconstruct road linking S. Sudan and DR Congo - Riek Machar visits Kenya to discuss a proposed peace agreement between Uganda & LRA

November 12, 2008 (KHARTOUM) report from Anyuak Media by SRS - Road to Link UN Missions In Sudan and Democratic Republic of Congo:

GOSS Vice President Dr. Riek Machar says he has reached an agreement with the United Nations Mission in Sudan to reconstruct the road linking southern Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Speaking in Nairobi on Friday, Dr. Machar said UNMIS will construct the road from Maridi in Western Equatoria state to Ri-kwamba on the border with the DRC.

MONUC, the UN mission to the DRC, has said it will also construct a road to the Sudanese border from the DRC side.

Dr. Machar said that apart from connecting Sudan’s UNMIS and the DRC’s MONUC by land, the road would facilitate transport and trade between Western Equatoria state and the DRC.

Dr. Riek Machar was in Nairobi to discuss a proposed peace agreement between Uganda and the Lord’s Resistance Army.

Machar met DRC President Joseph Kabila at the meeting in Nairobi to talk about co-coordinating UN forces in Uganda and the DRC.

The two discussed the possibility of stationing some members of the Cessation of Hostilities Monitoring Team (CHMT) with UN MONUC forces inside the DRC to monitor the movement and activities of the LRA.

CHMT is composed of senior army officers from Kenya, South Africa, Mozambique, Tanzania, the DRC, Uganda, southern Sudan and the LRA.

The team was established in Juba to monitor the ceasefire agreement signed two years ago between the Uganda government and the LRA.

- - -

Ministry of Transport to Complete Construction of Roads in South Sudan

November 7, 2008 (JUBA) by Juma John Stephen - The Ministry of Transport and Roads (Government of South Sudan), has signed a 4,312,239 million US dollars agreement with a Khartoum-based construction firm, Sutrac CAT Khartoum, to supply road construction equipment.

The Director of Roads and Bridges, Engineer Gabriel Makur Amuor, said that the money will be used to purchase equipment to complete the construction of all central trunk roads and all feeder roads connecting to the Payams and Bomas in South Sudan.

“The 2007 GoSS budget provided for the purchase of road construction equipment, comprising of five tippers, two graders, one water tank, one fuel tanker, one wheel loader, two excavators and a bulldozer, among others. These will see the completion and commissioning of roads in South Sudan”, said Eng. Makur.

Eng. Makur added that due to logistical obstacles, some of the equipment are still held at Port Sudan and will soon be cleared.

“We are working hard to ensure that we have all the equipment by the end of this year so that we can commence the construction of Nimule-Juba and Kajo Keji roads respectively”, he said.

The Nimule-Juba road will cost 120 million US dollars while the Kajo  Keji will cost 7 million US dollars.

Eng. Makur commended the World Food Programme for its continued support in the re-building of South Sudan, citing the world body’s generous provision of food and funds to upgrade the  Kaya – Rumbek road.

- - -

Sudan Watch Ed: Cross posted to sister blog Congo Watch (where the subscribe by email is working - but isn't working for me at Sudan Watch - nor can I get Sudan Watch feed to work in my newsreader. If anyone reading this has subscribed to Sudan Watch via email and is receiving the emails OK (or not) please let me know by email or leave a comment here. Thanks.)