SOUTH SUDAN

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TEXT HIGHLIGHTS:- Diaries updates, key events, brief analysis and

relating news articles in timeline

Overview

As Sudan prepared to gain independence from joint British and Egyptian

rule in 1956, southern leaders accused the new authorities in Khartoum of backing out of promises to create a federal system, and of trying to

impose an Islamic and Arabic identity.

In 1955, southern army officers mutinied, sparking off a civil war between

the south, led by the Anya Nya guerrilla movement, and the Sudanese government..

The conflict only ended when the Addis Ababa peace agreement of 1972

accorded the south a measure of autonomy.

But, in 1983, the south, led by the Sudan People's Liberation Movement

(SPLM) and its armed wing, the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA),

again rose in rebellion when the Sudanese government cancelled the

autonomy arrangements.

At least 1.5 million people are thought to have lost their lives and more

than four million were displaced in the ensuing 22 years of guerrilla warfare. Large numbers of South Sudanese fled the fighting, either to the

north or to neighbouring countries, where many remain.

The conflict finally ended with the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement, under which the south was granted regional autonomy along with

guaranteed representation in a national power-sharing government.

The agreement also provided for a referendum in the south on

independence in 2011, in which 99% of southern Sudanese voted to split from Sudan.

The area of Southern Sudan was subjected to decades of civil war

involving the Sudanese government and rebels from the South Sudan

Liberation Movement. In 1972, an agreement was signed by the Sudanese government in Addis Ababa which established the Southern Sudan

Autonomous Region and ended the civil war.

In 1983, Majour-General Mohammed An-Nimery the President of Sudan proclaimed the application of Islamic law (Shari’a) throughout Sudan,

including the South where the majority of citizens were Christians. In response, Army Colonel Dr. John Garang formed the Sudan People’s

Liberation Army/Movement (SPLA/M) and a second civil war began in Sudan, which lasted 22 years.

Headship since independence; Head of State

In 2003 and 2004 peace talks were held between the Khartoum government and the SPLM. Significant international attention was focused

on the talks, including from the UK as part of the “Troika”, along with the US and Norway. The outcome was the Comprehensive Peace Agreement

(CPA), signed on 15 January 2005. This detailed agreement set the terms

for an internationally monitored ceasefire, allowing the UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) into Sudan; set out a power sharing agreement, including

an SPLM/A Vice-President; and made provision for national elections in five years time. Crucially, it granted Southern Sudan significant autonomy

for six years, to be followed by a referendum on their independence. In January 2011, the people of South Sudan voted in a referendum to decide

whether to break away from Sudan and become an independent state. An overwhelming majority of voters (98.83%) voted for secession and the

Republic of South Sudan became the world’s newest country on 9 July 2011. Many of the issues that should have been resolved as part of the

CPA, however, remain the subject of negotiation between Sudan and South Sudan, including how oil revenues should be shared, citizenship,

borders and the disputed region of Abyei. Talks hosted by the African Union in Addis Ababa to help resolve these issues are ongoing.

The resurgence of a newly state, likely to be called as “South Sudan” is

expected to declare it's independence in early July, 2011. Most of Sudan's Oil-wealth is in the South but pipeline goes to a northern coastal city of

port-Sudan. Risks of separation include renewed fighting and emboldening

rebels in the Sudanese western region of Darfur. Previously civil wars were fought over religious and political differences! Disputes remain over

Oil-rights and political rights. The fact that eastern, western and the border states in Sudan have all resorted the armed struggle is the clearest

testimony that the CPA did not resolve their historical grievances.

The independence vote is part of the CPA peace deal b/n North & South.The Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) signed in Kenya in

2005 brought an end to the brutal civil war 1955 to 1972 and 1983 to 2005 that engulfed Sudan for extended periods after its independence in

January, 1956. The noted correctly that the three core principles in the

CPA Agreement were "fairer distribution of power and wealth between the centre and the peripheries, democratic transformation, and the right of

southern Sudanese to determine their own future". The CPA gave 52 and 28% of state power to the National Congress Party (NCP) and SPLA/M

respectively. It distributed the remaining 20% among northern (14%) and southern (6%) politicl parties.

Origins of name: To do with the location South of Sudan whose name was

derived from the Arabic phrase “Bilad as-Sudan” Arabic meaning for "land of the blacks".

South Sudan gained independence from Sudan in July 2011 as the outcome of a 2005 peace deal that ended Africa's longest-running civil

war.

An overwhelming majority of South Sudanese voted in a January 2011 referendum to secede and become Africa's first new country since Eritrea

split in de-jure from Ethiopia in April 1993.

The young state plunged into crisis in December 2013 amid a power

struggle between the president and his deputy whom he had sacked.

Fighting between government troops and rebel factions erupted, and within weeks the conflict had killed thousands and prompted more than

800,000 to flee their homes. Oil production fell drastically.

Geography: South Sudan formed from the 10 southern-most states of

Sudan, South Sudan is a land of expansive grassland, swamps and tropical rain forest straddling both banks of the White Nile.

It is highly diverse ethnically and linguistically. Among the largest ethnic

groups are the Dinka, Nuer and Shilluk.

Unlike the predominantly Muslim population of Sudan, the South

Sudanese follow traditional religions, while a minority are Christians.

A Republic in Northeastern Africa

Until 1956, Sudan was jointly ruled by Egypt and Britain as a single unit.

Post-independence, Southerners wanted to part ways with the Northerners, a fact that provoked several civil wars, until 1972 when the

North let go by decreeing semi autonomy. But that was short-lived

because in 1983, the North reclaimed the South, provoking a war that was ended by the 2005 North/South Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA),

signed in January 2005, offering the Southerners autonomy for six years.Referendum to determine independence of North and South or unity

conducted in January 2011, Southern Sudanese voters opted for secession.

In 1870s Egypt attempted to colonize the region known as South Sudan

today by establishing the province of Equatoria. In 1885 Islamic Mahdists overran the the region, but in 1898 the British forces were able to

overthrow the Mahdist regime. An Anglo-Egiptian joint rule was

established, the following year with equatoria being the southernmost of it's eight provinces, then the isolated region was largely left to itself over

the following decades, but Christian missionaries converted much of the population and facilitated the spread of English language in the region.

When the Sudan gained it's national independence in 1956, it was with the understanding that the southerners would be able to participate fully in

the political process. When the Arab Khartoum government reneged on it's promises, a mutiny began to develop that led to two prolonged periods of

conflict, 1955 to 1972 and the other from 1983 to 2005. The central Sudanese government imposition of "Arabism" and "Islamic Sharia law" on

the south Sudanese people and the rampant discrimination against them said to be historically brutalise, enslave, and colonise the African people

and their land, are a sustaining cause of the civil war. South Sudan is believed to hold much of the potential wealth of the whole Sudan including

Oil, millions of hectares of fertile land around the vast Sudd swamp, while

live animals outnumber people in most areas yet the majority of south Sudanese people languished in abject poverty for decades, while their

northern counterparts benefited disproportionately.

A year ahead of Sudan's independence from Britain and Egypt, the prospect of decolonization triggered desatisfaction in the south, they were

clamouring for more rights and complaining about being treated as second class-citizens. The southerners modestly demanding a form of regional

autonomy, but the northerners insisted on absorption and integration, a rebellion in the south broke-out, essential reason for the rebellion was

that compatriots in the South saw the impending independence as a

threat to them, which they preferred to oppose by resorting to the weapons of war. There is a lot more to the south Sudanese rebellion than

a delayed rendez-vous with the legacy of the British colonialism. In some ways it could be argued that the "imperfect" decolonization of the Sudan,

which did not necessarily follow the boundaries of ethnic and linguistic group settlement led to decades of conflict and civil wars and the current

break-up. Many of the problems leading to the referendum are also rooted

in post-independence Sudanese history, irreconciliable religious

differences, economic exploitation and discrimination. Southern Sudan, where most people are Christian or follow traditional religions, culturally

more akin to sub-Saharan Africa than northern Sudan, which is

predominantly Muslim and dominated by Arabs. It has vast arable lands, miles and miles of thick forests and fertile jungles, where the trees drip

with vines and branches bend earthward, heavy with fruits, still in most villages no electricity, no running water, no metal even. The southern

rebels under the SPLA/M, fought the Muslim north for over two decades until the 2005 CPA deal which the US administration helped broker a

treaty between the two sides that granted the south wider autonomy, and the right to secede, is already semi-autonomous and for the past six-

years, the southern Sudanese have essentially been running their own affairs, policing themselves, patrolling their borders, and wooing

investment and development aid. International Aid-organizations are still going to play a crucial role here, especially in health and education.

The acting-head of state Commander Salva Kiir who now heads the Southern Sudan autonomous government which wrested a measure of

independence from Khartoum in 2005, is expected to be an interim president of South Sudan. As per the CPA-Agreement, the future of the

Oil-rich Abiyei area will be decided in a second referendum and discussions have been held since it was postponed when tribal leaders

could not agree on whether the Arab Misseriya nomadic community had the right to vote and the people in the Nuba mountains and the Blue-Nile

areas are to have a "popular constitution" on their future. Nearly four millions southerners have registered to take part in the vote after a civil

war fought since 1955 against the government in Khartoum they see as having oppressed them, a vote for separation is seen as a foregone

conclusion. Key issues remain unresolved as the vote approaches and

fierce rounds of negotiations are expected to follow on post-referendum arrangements, with Oil-sharing, a disputed border and citizenship at the

top of the agenda.

It's well known that Sudan will lose a third of it's land, nearly a quarter of it's population and much of it's main money-maker Oil, if the south

Sudanese vote for independence in such conducted referendum, including the border and the future of Abiyei, a flashpoint region rich with lots of Oil

and water resources and grazzing-fields claimed by both. Abiyei was annexed to the north by presidential decree in the 1950s. But many fear

conflict may still ignite around the fate of the disputed Abiyei region,

claimed by both sides as symbolic advantage and with it's own referendum on whether to join the south or north unlikely to happen at

all. The Sudan government must also absorb the economic blow from the lose of the South, most Sudan's Oil & Water resources, the motor behind

an economic boom in the past few years, are located in the south, that the pipelines to get the product to market all run through it's territory. Many

southerners fled to the north for safety in recent decades as one of

Africa's longest running civil wars played out in their homeland. The main

rebel force in south, the SPLA has dominated politics in the south since the fighting ended in 2005. As fears of a return to full-scale war have

faded in recent months as the north appears ready to accept the result of

the referendum if comes onto independence for the south, but the referendum has increased tensions b/n the Arab Misseriya, a northern

nomadic tribe that travels through the Oil-producing border region of Abyei each year, and the southern settlers of the Ngok-Dinka tribe. The

northern troops had taken part alongside militiamen of the popular defence forces and nomadic Misseriya Arab tribesmen, who have been

fighting settled pro-southern Ngok-Dinka farmers for control of the territory, the idea is to discourage Abyei, an Oil-producing and fertile

border-region from wanting self-determination. It may come into question as resurgent nation state reclaim the right to control their border and to

bestow the benefits of citizenship.

Final results from 9th to 15th of January, 2011 vote, which the Sudanese

head of State has said he will accept the result, officially announced in mid-February 2011. By a total of 98.83 % of those polled voted for

independence, backed separation for newly born south Sudan, according to the South Sudan Referendum Commission (SSRC), early counting had

put the out-come of the ballot beyond-doubt, indicating southern Sudan had secured a mandate to become the world's newest nation. Formal

separation will take place 9th of July, 2011, and if the result is confirmed, the new country is set to formally declare it's statehood. Primarily forming

transitional body and the limit of it's authority and the SPLM's determination to vibrant multi-party system as converting itself from

guerilla fight-to- democratic pluralism may come a challenging. The southern Sudan referendum-poll was agreed as part of a 2005 peace deal

to end two decades of war. The border region of Abyei is home to the

Dinka-Ngok, sub-section of the south's largest ethnic-group, the Dinka. The Messeriya, who are northern nomads, travel through the region as

they take their cattle to greener pastures in the south. Most years, there are clashes when the Messeriya take their cattle through lands the Dinka-

Ngok consider belong to them.

To northern nomads, Abyie has always been grazzing-land to their cattle, which they had passed through unhindered for centuries. The southerners,

on the other hand, have also inhabited Abyei as agro-pastoralists for centuries. The two communities tolerated each other until the advent of

colonial administrators. It seems very clear that the southerners have

voted for separation in their referendum, but no one can work-out what to do with Abyei, the region which is on the border b/n north and south,

ought to have had it's own referendum on which half of the country to join. But there would also be domestic pressure on the newly emerging

south Sudanese government not to abandon it's kits and keens in the other side of the frontier, the regions of northern controlled south

Kordofan and the Blue-Nile regions, areas much larger than Abyei and

claimed by both sides, are pending an out-come of a promised

referendum.

According to recent newsreports, both the southern and northern Sudan

have violated agreements by mobilising heavily armed units to the disputed border region of Abyei, a confrontation in the fertile and Oil-rich

region could restart the civil war b/n the north and south that raged for more than two-decades and ended only in 2005, "the danger is that a

confrontation in a place like Abyei could get-out of hand, and that could lead them to wholesale war with very serious consequence", said a

western diplomat in the region. Two-populations co-exist in the fertile and Oil-rich land of Abyei; the Ngok-Dinka farmers, who are loyal to the south

and want independence from the north, and the Arab-Misseriya nomads, who are mainly cattle herders, graze their herds in Abyei and fear losing

access to the land if it secedes. As the whole process is precarious, it's

widely observed that the area is still awashed with weapons, militias and mistrust, fears are growing of a return to civil war as tensions rising after

the northern forces clashed in border areas with those of the south in less than a month before the south is due to declare independence. The USA

as a donor country alone has been pouring more than 300 million USD as aid disbursements annually into the southern Sudan, as part of vigorous

effort to bolster the southern government before a referendum on full-independence from the pre-dominantly muslim-north scheduled for

January, 2011.

In reality, health, education and poverty indicators are among the worst in

the world. Illiteracy and innumeracy are rife, and many development workers label South Sudan a "pre-failed state". The US government and

other international aid agencies in the west have built roads, clinics, schools and of course religious ministries, who are there to tap directly

into the aid-pipeline, where there was virtually nothing before, as many still doubted, there is little evidence of fledgeling southern Sudanese state

that will be able to stand on it's own feet. There was also so little capacity to effectively absorb the aid-money itself, of course, a successful nation

building efforts in southern Sudan would require significantly more money, cooperation and different set of skills and massive aid infusions. Recovery

efforts especially restoring basic social services would be a challenging for the newly emerging nation. The north, which controls the pipeline that

delivers it the international markets, has relied on Oil-revenues to maintain it's economy, and the loss of southern Oil-fields will hit it hard.

As region's analysts predict, this will no-doubt be challenged in the near

future, a shorter pipeline to the Kenyan coastline has already been proposed, and the geo-political significance of the north Sudan will

inevitably shrink while that of the south is set to rise. And many expect to see more Chinese and Far-eastern companies in southern Sudan over the

coming years, and western countries are hardly in a position to compete, perhaps that leaves the incumbent Sudanese president, who seized power

in May-1989, exposed to his political opponents in the north for allowing

the South to break.

The northern forces overran Abyei border region recently, a key Oil-

producing zone claimed by both sides, in an assault launched on 21 May, 2011, in the run-up to the south's secession as an independent state

following a 2011, January referendum. Disputes over border demarcation b/n north and south Sudan has already entailed the need to deploy UN-

mandated Ethiopian peacekeepers recently as the neighbouring Ethiopia agreed to send two battalions of it's troops to the contested Abyei border

region between north and south in order to help ensure the newly emerging state of South Sudan as it has good relationships with both

sides. The two sides were supposed to work-out how to share Sudan's Oil-revenues under the 2005 peace accord, but they were unable to agree,

even though they need each other to export the Oil-crude, but negotiators

are still working on the specific formula of how the two sides- the north and south will share the Oil-revenue. If go accordingly, the would be

independent South Sudan would be the third-largest Oil-producer in sub-Saharan Africa, after Angola and Nigeria with production out-put of

490,000 barrels a day that to be exceeded 600,000, stands to make billions of dollars from it's reserves. Oil-revenue sharing, border

demarcation, questions of citizenship and the status of the border regions of Abyei and south Kordofan, where the northern government forces have

carried-out attacks during the past months, displacing hundreds of thousands of civilians, are likely to remain contentious issues for the

coming months. Commander Salva Kiir Mayardit, member of the ethnic-Dinka himself, took over the reins and the cause of the southern

Sudanese since his predecessor Colonel John Garang de Mabior passed-away in a mysterious Helicopter crash using his dogged pragmatism, led

the people of South Sudan through tough and tortuous negotiations to

independence in July, 2011. It is much hoped that his reign as president of South Sudan, which commences in 9th July, 2011, will bring peace and

prosperity to the new nation.

History was made on first week of the month of July, 2011 when South Sudan was declared the world's newest 193rd member and Africa's 55th

nation on the 9th of July, 2011 following decades of war and oppression. South Sudanese citizens, over a dozen African leaders, international

dignitaries including the UN Secretary-general Ban Ki Moon, and north Sudan's president Omar Ahmed Hassan Al-Bashir, and the world's newest

president Commander Salva Kiir Mayardit are convening in the new

country's capital of Juba to witness the celebration of the birth of a new nation, the crowd cheered when parliamentary speaker James Wani Igga,

read out the formal declaration of independence. "We the democratically elected representatives of the people hereby declare South Sudan to be

an independent and sovereign state", said James Igga before the old flag was lowered, the new South Sudanese flag raised and the new national

anthem sung. People were toasting oversize bottles of white bull beer

(local brew), and children are boogieng on the streets. President Salva Kiir

Mayardit then took the Oath of office, promising the new nation would live in peace with all its neighbours, to the north, east, west and south. It is

both a celebration of the independence of a new African country, won

through courage and determined insistence on freedom, as well as a look back and commemoration of the millions killed, enslaved and even

castrated at the hands of fellow African predators, going back hundreds of years. The successful war that produced the new country of South Sudan

was a new kind of African war of liberation-this time not against European oppressors. Going forward, the war's successful conclusion, despite the

bloodshed and hardships, will provide a fillip to other regional and ethnic struggles on the continent against oppression, marginalization, as many

political observers, it would be a bit hard for someone to ignore Somaliland and the Western Saharan cause. The decades long conflict in

South Sudan caused more than two million, mostly civilian deaths and countless injured and forcibly displaced persons. The war first began in

1955, a year ahead of Sudan's national independence and ended in 1972 with only 11-years of peace in between: almost everyone has memories of

the bitter price of conflict. For this reason, many South Sudanese consider

independence day the happiest in their lives.

The ruling-SPLM has to lay foundations for a more inclusive multi-party landscape and work towards unity among the 200 southern ethnic-groups,

the South also has a long way to go in terms of development, should give priority to infrastructural development and private sector promotion to see

the economy, education, healthcare and security improved", saying diplomats. It's to be recalled that the Muslim-led government of the

Sudan, and the animist and christian south were battled two civil wars over more than five decades, (1955 to 1972 and 1983 to 2005) between

the northern government and the southern rebel-SPLA culminating in a

2005 peace deal that led to the 9th of July, 2011's independence declaration. Sudan's Peoples Liberation Army (SPLA) has been Sudan's

main rebel group for the past three decades. It has an estimated 150, 000 to 200, 000 men under arms, spread across Sudan-north and south- with

it's large political wing, the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-SPLM. The new government would be dominated by the Dinka-Ngok, the biggest

ethnic-group in South Sudan, and some of the toughest rebel armies are commanded by members of the Nuer ethnic-group, a historic rival. In

recent development, the former Ethiopian president Lt. Colonel Mengistu Haile-Mariam is planning to move to southern Sudan, according to

newsreports. The newly government of South Sudan has finalized building a new residential house for the former Ethiopian president who is

currently living in Harare, Zimbabwe. And also understood that he is on the look-out for another shelter due to the precarious position his friend

Robert Gabriel Mugabe is in. The southern Sudanese are apparently

gratefuls to the ex-Ethiopian head of State, for providing them with invaluable assistance during their liberation struggle against the northern

Sudanese regime. Within a month of the South Sudanese independence,

many about 500 people have been killed in ethnic clashes recently in the

eastern state of Jonglei. The clashes took place when members of one ethnic group are said to have attacked the other, stealing cattle. The

attack was a cattle raid, and a consequence of poverty and competition

over resources.

The Major Conflicts;-

Darfur Conflict

When: Erupted in 2003

Who: Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) and Justice and Equality Movement

(JEM) in Darfur

Why: The two groups accused government of oppressing black Africans in

favour of Arabs

Results: Several people killed, millions displaced, thousands starve to death.

The Abyei Clash

When: 2008

Who: Arab militia against SPLM

Why: Unresolved conflict on the Abyei area contested by both North and

South factions of Sudan.

Outcome: A deal was signed but there were over 2 million people dead and over 50,000 refugees.

What to see

Human & Wildlife migration

South Sudan At A Glance;-

More importantly, during decolonization from Britain, the south was not

consulted when the Sudan attained it's so called independence in 1956. Then the South found itself within a wrong geographical boundary ruled

by the ungrateful elements in the North.

At midnight on the 9th of July, 2011, the entire world saw the birth of the

Republic of South Sudan. Jubilant at their newly found freedom, the people cried tears of joy as they dancing and singing on the streets. For

three days, the new country was swept-up in a giant fiesta, as everyone- the young and the old, preachers and politicians, men and women-

euphorically celebrated what they had fought, shed-blood, and waited for over 56 years.

The struggle for South Sudanese liberation backdates from Sudanese

independence from Britain in January, 1956, since then major civil conflicts have dominated the history of South Sudan, the first from 1955

to 1972 and the second from 1983 to 2005, when the CPA was signed b/n

North and South Sudan.

South Sudan has an estimated population of 8, 250, 000 who speak more

than 200 tribal languages. They are of Christian, African religious faith, and Muslims. The country is divided into 10 states. It has huge and

diversified natural resources, fertile lands, rainforests, fresh water resource, bio-diversity, wild and domestic animal stock, mineral

resources, and the chief of all, Oil.

In July 9th, 2011, with independence South Sudan has now retained

possession of all it's resources. Negotiations on the hire of the Oil-pipeline that runs through the North through the Red sea outlet of port-Sudan

should progress fastr.

On the 14th of July, 2011: The Republic of South Sudan's flag was raised outside the UN headquarters in New York as newly admmited 199th

member of the United Nations.

On the 15th of August, 2011, a flag raising ceremony was held in Addis

Ababa, Ethiopia marking the admission of the Republic of South Sudan as 54th African member State of the African Union Commission (AUC).

In August, 2011, while the North looks towards the Arab and Islamic world

for political aspirations, the South considers itself an integral part of Black Africa.

In August, 2011, Juba, the sprawling capital of the South Sudan, immediately after the 2005 peace deal was a run-down village pillaged by

the invading, marauding and occupying troops from the North. There were only less than 20 vehicles in the town, nearly all of them were owned by

Northerners. Juba is now a booming town. Juba's population has almost trippled from 165, 000 in 2005 to 500, 000 in five years.

It has to be recalled that the country has lost more than 2.5 million people

in the latest conflict alone. The memories of death and suffering are still

fresh in the minds of the South Sudanese. There is no appetite for another war in South Sudan.

Then there is Abyei an Oil-rich territory at the centre of the issue, which

was transfered to the North in 1905 for administrative purposes by the British colonial administration thought, in it's wisdom, to transfer it to the

Arid-north.

SPLM/SPLA a guerilla outfit that championed the 1983 to 2005 liberation

struggles that South Sudan was at last free.

In January, 2011, in a bid to keep Abyei north, Khartoum have blocked it's inhabitants, the Ngok-Dinka, from voting in the Abyei Referendum due to

take place stimulaneously with the referendum in the South in January, 2011. Abyei could very well be an excuse for a new North-South war.

It is reportedly an Oil rich and both the North and South want it.

Ethnically, Abyei is Christian Ngok Dinka, but the Khartoum government has settled thousands of the nomadic Arab Misseriya Muslims, who travel

to fertile Abyei to graze their cattle during the dry season, in the past few

years to add to the number of “Arabs". People need "cattle for their own survival, for food security and for marriages- and there is competition

over land and water resources, because of under development", according to political experts, saying cattle rustling frequently leads to bloody

clashes in the state and elsewhere in the South Sudan.

In september, 2011, however, many can not help but notice seriouly that the new nation of South sudan have fallen into the same traps that some

others older African nations have been struggling to get-out of, startling with ethnicity.

The "new Arabs", a reference to the people of the North who dominated Sudan's national life before the country broke into two in July, 2011.

The South-Sudanese ruling-elite is peculiar blend of military and

intellectuals, the former having been appointed in recognition of their blood sacrifice, and the latter drawn from the pool of sharp diaspora-

educated brains whose wives and children reside in the west.

Constitutionally the president of the Republic has the power to hire and

fire state governors and dissolve parliament. The 10-States are autonomous, each with their own government and parliament.

As the newest 193rd UN member State, South Sudan is quite clear, as to

see themselves as part of the East Africa, in the process of becoming a

member of the British commonwealth, and Regional-groupings i.e. the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD), COMESA, and the

East African Community (EEC). According to analysts, South Sudan "must overcome weak state capacity and chronic insecurity and manage post-

conflict transition.

The Kenyan government plans to build a new port at Lamu to relieve the overcrowded port of Mombasa. Chinese companies are interested and are

funding feasibility studies. There is also talk of a new pipeline from South Sudan to Lamu – at a cost of more than $1 bn. It would probably join with

the pipeline that the China National Offshore Oil Corporation, Total and

Ireland’s Tullow are planning to build from Uganda to Kenya.

China is running infrastructure and large scale agricultural projects in the North, and building Hydroelectric-dams. China has backed the north all

the way, armed it's forces, given a diplomatic support and even been involved militarily in South Sudan. China would prefer the status quo to

continue, but cunningly courting South Sudan and bidding to build the pipeline from Juba to the Kenyan port of Lamu to bypass the pipelines in

the North.

Scores of people are killed recently and 20,000 more displaced by inter-

tribal fighting in Pibor, South Sudan despite the presence of the UN peacekeepers. Some 6,000 ethnic Lou Nuer fighters attacked the area

around Pibor town, outnumbering army and UN forces. This is the latest

round in a cycle of violence which has lasted several months - in one incident last year some 600 Lou Nuer were killed by attackers from the

Murle community, the group which fled from Pibor. The clashes began as cattle raids but have spiralled out of control. The South Sudanese

government has declared a disaster in Jonglei state, where some 100,000 people have fled recent clashes between rival ethnic groups.This would

enable aid agencies to move in urgently, as food, medicine and shelter was badly needed.

The newly born state of South Sudan to halt oil production in row with

Khartoum’

South Sudan says it will halt production amid a dispute over sharing

revenues with the Khartoum government. South Sudan is shutting down more than 900 oil wells after accusing its former masters in Khartoum of

stealing its oil piped north for export. The shutdown is a bold, some might say almost suicidal, move by the world's newest state, which depends on

oil for 98 percent of state revenue. But it reflects the frustration and anger in the south at what is widely seen as the Machiavellian machinations of

Khartoum to sabotage the breakaway state that sits on 75 percent of Sudan's oil. The dispute could trigger new violence. The Financial Times

said "the reduction in supply may prompt a rise in global prices" amid

Iranian threats to close the export outlet from the Persian Gulf. The shutdown ordered by South Sudanese President Salva Kiir sharply

heightened the tension with north Sudan after acrimonious talks on how to divide oil revenue, vital to both states, collapsed. Sudan will

immediately release loaded oil tankers it had detained in its port, in an effort to end a dispute over oil payments with South Sudan, a Sudanese

official said. Landlocked South Sudan began halting oil production at earlier week after accusing Sudan of stealing $815 million worth of the

south’s crude oil. Sudan detained the oil tankers loading oil from the south in Port-Sudan in response. Sudan has reserves of 6.6 billion barrels and is

rated the third largest producer in sub-Saharan Africa after Angola and Nigeria. The two Sudans produce 460,000 barrels per day, with the

greater part by the south. But landlocked South Sudan can only export via pipelines running through the north to Sudan's only terminal at Port

Sudan on the Red Sea. Oil is the core of the dispute that threatens the

existence of the infant state, which was established July 9, 2011, after a landslide vote for secession in a referendum. The poll was conducted

under a 2005 peace treaty that ended a civil war that began in 1955 and took the lives of more than 2 million people. Khartoum has demanded fees

of $32 per barrel for use of the pipelines and the terminal. South Sudan says that's extortionate and has offered $1 a barrel as part of a

multimillion-dollar compensation package for seceding. The south says it

was left with no option but to shut down oilfields after Khartoum

unilaterally sold southern oil worth $815 million. The north said it seized the oil in lieu of transit fees it said the southern government hasn't paid

since secession. The halt in production leaves both north and south in a

precarious economic situation. The south has no other resources it can fall back on and needs oil revenue to pay for its drive to build an economic

and social infrastructure in the impoverished region, where there are only about 50 miles of paved road and few schools. The north is also under

growing economic pressure. In the final decade before separation, "oil production fed a boom in consumer spending and services concentrated

around Khartoum," the Financial Times reported. "But the government was ill-prepared for the 75 percent drop in revenues from oil when the

south voted for independence and took most of the country's reserves with it in July." Since then, the north's currency has nosedived 60 percent

on the black market, alongside a decline in foreign currency inflows. "Annual inflation reached 21 percent in September 2011 but the price of

some basic foodstuffs such as sorghum, a staple food, have more than doubled, ramping up social tension,They've been quelling protests with

violence, like before, and with large numbers of arrests." Khartoum argues

that by 2015 it will have lost $15 billion with the secession of the south. The International Monetary Fund puts th e figure at $5 billion. The south's

lead negotiator, Pagan Amun, told the Muslim Arab regime in Khartoum had plundered the Christian and animist south for centuries. In their first

'face-to-face' meeting under the direct mediation of regional leaders in Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital, the leaders of Sudan and South Sudan

have discussed the oil row that has threatened their post-secession process. Sudanese President Omar El Bashir said the discussions were still

continuing and that nothing had yet been agreed with the South Sudanese government, whose leader Salva Kiir, sat on the opposite seat as the

seven-member Inter-Governmental Authority (IGAD) Summit, which brought together the two sides to discuss the pending agreement on the

sharing and utilization of the oil infrastructure in the Sudan following South Sudan’s independence, got underway. President Bashir, speaking in

Arabic through a translator, declined to disclose whether any concrete

proposals were on the table for discussions while the African Union’s High-Level Implementation Panel Chairman, Thabo Mbeki, shuffled between

rooms where the various delegations were meeting. “We had informal discussions to deal with the current crisis between South Sudan and the

Republic of Sudan. We will have an announcement on this matter,” Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, who chaired the IGAD Summit,

said. He said an agreement was likely to be announced after the meeting, also attended by the region’s leaders and top-level security officials, to

discuss the situation in Somalia. All the IGAD leaders, except the Ugandan President, Yoweri Museveni, attended the meeting to discuss the crisis in

the Sudan, which has worsened in the last few weeks after South Sudan shut down the pumping of oil to protest what it termed as the “stealing of

its oil from the North”. South Sudan has claimed 25% of its oil exports had been diverted by the Sudanese authorities and the Sudanese

government said the comments attributed to President Salva Kiir were

unfortunate. Kenyan government officials have reportedly signed an oil pipeline agreement with South Sudan as a long-term measure to the

exportation of the South Sudanese oil. The oil shutdown came a day after

South Sudan and neighboring Kenya signed a memorandum of understanding to build a new pipeline to the Indian ocean port of Lamu.

South Sudan posseses huge oil-reserves and is home to 85 per-cent of the oil-wells that made the former United Sudan the third largest oil-producer

in sub-Saharan Africa. There are several unexploited areas in South Sudan with strong possibility of holding substantial reserves. A number of

exploitaion agreements have been made between Chinese and South Sudan, and China is presently South Sudan's largest trading partner.

Recent Oil-wells Bombing Raises Heat In Sudan Oil Dispute’

At an oil well in South Sudan, Mohamed Lino clambered into a metre-deep (3-ft) crater as crude oozed out of shrapnel-damaged pipes, the wreckage

of what the government said was an air attack by its old enemy the north. "This is where the bomb fell ... If the oil had been flowing there would

have been big, big damage," said Lino, director general of South Sudan's oil ministry, examining the churned earth beneath his feet. The bombing,

for which Sudan north denies responsibility, raised the stakes in a bitter row over oil transportation fees that analysts say could escalate into full-

scale war. South Sudan declared independence last year after voting overwhelmingly for secession in a referendum, part of a 2005 peace deal

to end decades of civil war. But the peace remains uneasy at best, with

north and south accusing each other of waging proxy wars in states along their ill-defined frontier. The northern government, which relies heavily on

revenues from southern oil piped through its territory, denied bombing the well that sits just 10 km (6 miles) from the border. Officials in the south

said the air strike on El Nar set a precedent by targeting energy infrastructure and described it as a dangerous escalation. "They bombed

this place because of the oil," said Miakol Lual, the traditional chief of El Nar, who said the planes came from the northeast and flew off in the

same direction.

Sudan has lowered its oil transit fees demand to $32.20 a barrel in a bid

to resolve a row that has shut in South Sudan's output - Sudan's Oil Minister ‘ As the two sides remained far apart as talks continue in

Ethiopia. South Sudan shut down 350,000 barrels per day of oil production in January, tightening global oil supplies further, after the

north seized more than $800 million of its crude and built a pipeline to divert it through refineries in Khartoum. Sudan then demanded $6 plus a

renegotiation of pipeline and processing fees which would push costs to $36 per barrel. Khartoum has now lowered its demand to $32.20 a barrel,

Sudanese oil minister Awad al-Jaz told Reuters in an interview on Tuesday. "We think it's to the benefit of the two nations to allow the oil to

pass," Awad al-Jaz said in an interview on Tuesday. "We expect this round will be more positive than before." Khartoum thinks $32 is a fair charge,

the minister told Reuters in an interview in Kuwait, because it owns all the

facilities and provides all the services. Analysts say the proposed fee exceeds international norms by more than 10 times.

South Sudan to build up postal service with Kenya, Ethiopia’

South Sudan is about to sign contracts for postal services with Kenya Airlines and Ethiopian Airlines to use their international network to deliver

mail, so ending reliance on former civil war foe Sudan, a government official said. South Sudan became independent in July under a 2005 peace

agreement with Khartoum that ended decades of civil war, but the new

nation has been struggling to build up state institutions. The government will sign contracts soon with airlines in Kenya and Ethiopia, said Juma

Stephen, undersecretary at the ministry of tele-communications and postal services. "There are already templates for the contracts," Stephen

told Reuters on the sidelines of an investment conference in Juba, adding the signing could happen within a month. South Sudan still relies on

foreign postal services from Sudan as it did in the pre-independence era, with mail and packages often arriving days late, if not weeks. The new

nation borders six countries but has just 100 km (70 miles) of paved roads, making imports and transport a big challenge. Stephen also said

the government was setting up a postal centre in Malakal with the help of the United Nations to link the north of the African nation with the capital

Juba.

Side note A UN resident humanitarian coordinator in South Sudan,

recently reported that 60, 000 people have been affected by recent violence..more than 350, 000 people have been displaced during 2011 by

rebel militia and inter-communal fighting. A military invasion and occupation of the South Kordofan and Blue Nile states by the Sudan

Armed Forces SAF has forced 75, 000 people to seek refuge in South Sudans Unity and Upper Nile regions since June, 2011.

Reportedly Sudan and South Sudan have been drawing closer to a full-scale war in recent times over the unresolved issues of oil revenues and

their disputed border’ The violence has drawn alarm and condemnation from the international community, including from U.S. President Barack

Obama. South Sudan's president said its northern neighbor has "declared war" on the world's newest nation, just hours after Sudanese jets dropped

eight bombs on his country. President Salva Kiir's comments, made during his trip to China, signal a rise in rhetoric between the rival nations, who

spent decades at war with each other. Neither side has officially declared war.

Apparently Eritrea supplied ammo and guns to the rebel South Sudan Democratic Movement (SSDM)’

Ammunition taken from the SSDM on 30th April, 2012 by South Sudanese

security forces allegedly came from the same lots as ammo Eritrea gave

the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) of Ethiopia. The ONLF

opposes the Ethiopian government.

Rumours said South Sudan officials have 'stolen USD 4 billion’

South Sudan's President Salva Kiir has accused officials of stealing at least

$4bn (£2.6bn) from state resources. President Salva Kiir has accused top South Sudanese officials of stealing the $4bn. He has written to 75

current and former senior government employees, asking for the money be returned. "People in South Sudan are suffering and yet some

government officials simply care about themselves," President Kiir said in

the letter. The new nation is desperately in need of funds after its oil production was shut down in an argument with Sudan. Oil accounts for

98% of revenue in South Sudan, which only seceded from Sudan to form the world's newest nation last July.

South Sudan 1st Independence Anniversary’

President Salva Kiir focuses on economy. South Sudan's President Salva Kiir has said the world's newest country needs to be "independent

economically" in his speech to mark the first anniversary of its independence. Thousands of people danced and waved flags during official

celebrations in the capital, Juba. The BBC's Nyambura Wambugu, in Juba, says that few South Sudanese have seen much improvement in their lives.

But she says that most feel it has been a good year, despite the problems. The BBC correspondent says it has also been a turbulent 12 months, with

ethnic conflict in Jonglei State killing hundreds, conflict on the border with Sudan and a huge corruption scandal. Mr Kiir told the crowd: "We still

depend on others. Our liberty today is incomplete. We must be more than liberated. We have to be independent economically. "The official

celebrations saw a military parade, featuring tanks and rocket launchers, while two helicopter flew South Sudan's flag over the heads of the

cheering crowds. UN head Ban Ki-moon had been expected but did not

attend, reports the AFP news agency. In a speech read on his behalf, Mr Ban said: "A lot has been achieved since independence, but a lot also

needs to be done." Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni said his country would support South Sudan in its struggle with "the short man from

Khartoum" - seen as a reference to Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir. Sudan's leader attended the independence celebrations a year ago but the

two neighbours have since fallen out and Mr Kiir said Mr Bashir had declined an invitation, AFP reports. When South Sudan seceded, it took

75% of the country's oil with it. But the pipelines still run through Sudan and the former civil war enemies cannot agree on how much the South

should pay in transit fees.The dispute led South Sudan to cut off all oil exports, triggering a collapse in government revenues and tough austerity

measures.

Sudanese refugees face 'humanitarian disaster'

People are dying in large numbers in a refugee camp in South Sudan,

Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) has warned. The medical charity says as many as four young children die at the Batil camp every day - twice the

established emergency threshold. The rainy season makes it impossible to

bring food in by road, and the only way to deliver aid is by air. Some 170,000 refugees have fled to camps in South Sudan from Sudan

following fighting north of the border. "What we are seeing here in this camp in nothing short of a humanitarian catastrophe," MSF's medical co-

ordinator Helen Patterson said. The majority of those who have died in the camp are children under five, and MSF says that diarrhoea seems to be

the biggest cause. It adds that malnutrition is a contributing factor, calling for urgent help. The medical charity says some 28% of children in Batil

are malnourished, with 10% severely affected. It says two people per 10,000 are dying each day - double the rate at which an emergency is

declared. The camp houses some 34,000 people. One man, Ibrahim, says his mother died after reaching Batil, in South Sudan's Upper Nile state,

which stretches north between Sudan's South Kordofan and Blue Nile states, where fighting is raging between the Sudanese army and rebel

groups. Osman, another refugee, says he has already lost his nephew,

and is worried that the baby boy's father will soon die too. Refugees - many of whom walked to weeks to get to camps - say they were forced

from their homes by ground and air attacks by the Sudanese military, and are being chased away because of their ethnic origin. Officials in Khartoum

deny that civilians are being targeted and blame the humanitarian situation on the rebels. Many people in South Kordofan and Blue Nile

fought with southerners against Khartoum's Islamist, Arab-dominated government for two decades. But when South Sudan gained independence

in 2011, they found themselves north of the new international border. South Sudan's government, formed by the ex-rebel movement, denies

charges by Khartoum that it is backing the rebel groups on Sudanese territory. The tension along this part of the border is one of the issues

which caused Sudan and South Sudan to come to the brink of war earlier this year.

The two countries have been at logerheads’

Since April, 2012 when, following tit-for-tat armed clashes as well as both sporadic artillery barrages and the Sudan north’s air attacks, South Sudan

both occupied Sudan’s Heiglig oil fields and shutdown Khartoum’s vital oil pipeline. The pipeline had been shipping 300, 000 barrels of crude oil each

day to Port Sudan in the north, the transit fees underspinning Sudan’s

economy. South Sudan is highly reliant on oil revenues. Oil constitutes 98% of South Sudan’s revenues, but the South Sudan government claims

that the Khartoum government has failed to honour payment agreements for the black gold. Held under the auspices of the African Union (AU) High

Level Implementation Panel on Sudan (AUHIP), negotiations in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa were led by former South African President

Thabo Mbeki and prioritized resolving the issue of oil fees. The talks

followed the UN security council’s Chapter VII resolution to end the

fighting, return to peace talks and permit humanitarian assistance to reach those affected by the conflict on both sides of the border. Yet the

oil-pipeline dispute shows no signs of being resolved, the South Sudan’s

government is on record as saying that “the government of South Sudan was ready to pump no oil for two years” while it tried to negotiate “a fair

tarrif” with Khartoum to transport it. Meantime, South Sudan offers to resume oil production, exports through Sudan at Ethiopia talks. South

Sudan offered to increase the transit fees it would pay to Sudan to use its pipelines as part of a deal that could restart the south’s oil industry and

provide much needed money to both governments. The deal was proposed by South Sudan’s negotiators at ongoing talks in Ethiopia’s

capital between South Sudan and Sudan. The proposal focused on peace and security measures as well as economic cooperation between the two

nations, according to a statement from South Sudan. Sudan’s reaction to the offer wasn’t immediately clear. After South Sudan peacefully broke

away from Sudan in July, 2011 the south inherited about 75 per-cent of the formerly unified oil production. But the south’s oil must be pumped

through Sudan’s pipelines, and South Sudan in January, 2012 shut down

its oil industry after accusing Sudan of stealing its oil. Khartoum said it was taking the oil in lieu of unpaid fees. South Sudan’s negotiators offered

to resume shipments through Sudan’s PetroDar and Greater Nile Petroleum Operating Company pipelines for transit fees of $7.26 ad $9.10

per barrel respectively. South Sudan says it is also willing to forgive nearly $500 million in lost revenue it says Khartoum took from its exports earlier

this year. South Sudan’s chief negotiator, Pagan Amum, said the agreement “if accepted by the Republic of Sudan, would not only

rejuvenate Sudan’s economy, but also end hostilities, resume bilateral trade, and ensure a permanent peace between South Sudan and Sudan.”

The Ethiopia talks are being held to try and resolve a host of issues left over from the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), which ended

a civil war between the two nations. The U.N. Security Council has ordered the two sides to reach agreement by Aug. 2 on such outstanding items as

oil revenue sharing, the demarcation of their shared border and the status

of the contested region of Abyei, which is claimed by both sides. As part of the 2005 agreement, Abyei was to hold a referendum in January 2011 to

decide whether it stays with Khartoum or joins the newly independent South. But both countries disagreed on voter eligibility, and clashed

militarily over the area, forcing some 100,000 residents to flee. South Sudan has called for a new referendum for Abyei to be held before the end

of this year. The referendum would be jointly run by the United Nations and African Union and allow anyone living in Abyei for “three continuous

years immediately prior to January 9, 2005” to be allowed to vote. The U.N. Security Council ordered the two sides to hammer out agreements

following clashes in April that pushed the two sides to the brink of war. The May U.N. resolution threatens sanctions against both sides if they did

not immediately resume talks and reach a final deal within three months. The loss of its oil and the shutdown of southern production have dealt a

heavy blow to Sudan’s economy. Sudan President Omar Ahmed Al-Bashir

was recently forced to end popular subsidies on fuel. The resulting rise in food and fuel prices have spurred small but growing protests on the

streets of many of Sudan’s major cities and put pressure on the ruling

National Congress Party. Sudan has accused South Sudan of shutting down its oil in an attempt to destabilize Khartoum. South Sudan, in its

new offer, said it would provide Khartoum with $3.245 billion to help Sudan meet part of the financial gap created by South Sudan’s secession.

“The (agreement) is a fair and balanced agreement where each nation’s people will benefit,” said Pagan Amum. Hostilities between the two nations

remain. South Sudan accused Sudan of bombing a South Sudanese village near the north-south border. Khartoum said it was targeting Darfuri rebels

operating in the South Sudan. South Sudan has submitted a formal complaint to the United Nations Security Council, but both sides said they

would continue negotiating.

Refugee Crisis in South Sudan Is Getting Worse'

Over 170,000 refugees are living in refugee camps in South Sudan's Unity

and Upper Nile states, a number that has almost doubled since last April. Most of the refugees are coming from South Kordofan and Blue Nile states

in Sudan, where ongoing fighting between the SPLA-N and Sudanese government troops has displaced civilians. Kitty Mckinsey, a spokesperson

for the U.N. refugee agency (UNHCR), said refugees are fleeing “mainly because of the fighting, but the fighting has also made it impossible to

farm, so some say they’re just going hungry at home.” Mckinsey

described the refugee's condition as serious, partly because many had never seen a doctor in their home villages. "Then they walk for days or

even weeks, so when they arrive at the refugee camps they’re already exhausted, maybe dehydrated, they maybe haven’t eaten, so they’re in a

state where they could easily get sick if they’re not already sick,” Mckinsey said. In a media briefing, the UNHCR's Deputy Director of the

Division of Programme Support and Management, Paul Spiegel, said that refugees were making their way through the rain to the remote camps on

roads that are almost non-existent. The rainy season has made refugees even more susceptible to illnesses such as respiratory tract infections and

malaria. Siegal said children under five are dying at rates the U.N. considers emergency levels. But the rainy season has also made getting

food and other supplies to the camps much more difficult. In the meantime, U.N. spokesperson Kitty Mckinsey said refugees are doing what

they can to stay well. “We’re training some of the refugees themselves

and we work with other partners to go around and impress upon the refugees the importance of what we in the west would consider really

basic stuff, like washing their hands, going to the health center the second anybody in the family has diarrhea, washing their buckets, washing their

jerry cans, and all these really basic precautions so that they don’t get sick, or if they do get sick they don’t pass their illness on to anyone else,”

Mckinsey said. She added that the situation, while very serious, is not

hopeless. Already campaigns to improve hygiene and immunizations are

helping. But with South Sudan's oil revenues on hold while Sudanese and South Sudanese leaders continue to negotiate oil transportation fees and

other issues, the refugees' host country cannot offer them much more

than land and sympathy. VoA News August 24, 2012:

South Sudan to Resume Oil Production In Upper Nile'

South Sudan will resume oil production especially the Upper Nile in September, Sudan's lead negotiator at the African Union Pegan Amum has

said.Sudan and South Sudan reached an agreement on issues related to

oil transit fees recently during their talks mediated by the African Union High Level Implementation Panel (AHUIP) in the Ethiopian capital, Addis

Ababa paving the way for a solution to fighting between the two countries.The two parties have also agreed to set up a joint delegation

that will negotiate South Sudan's offer to cancel Sudan's $3 billion debt in addition to direct financial assistance over the next three years. According

to the Ethiopian Ministry of foreign affairs, Pagan said resuming oil production "will not just be an automatic thing. It will take time to open

one well after the other." Production is expected to start with 150,000 barrel per day (bpd) and increase to between 180,000 and 190,000 within

three to four months. Pagan also suggested that production could increase well beyond recorded levels prior to the shutdown within a year. The two

countries will resume their talks on August 26 to resolve the remaining issues.The AU Peace and Security Council agreed that the negotiations on

all outstanding matters should be concluded by 22 September,

2012. (August 10, 2010)

UNSC deadline (2nd August, 2012) threatning sanctions for the two Sudans drew closer’

, a chance encounter between Sudan’s President Omar Ahmed Hassan Al-

Bashir and South Sudan’s Salva Kiir Mayardit on the sidelines of the

African Union summit in Addis Ababa in mid-July was a tentative first step in the possible resumption of talks. The two leaders have resumed talks in

Addis Ababa before the UNSC’s deadline for possible economic sanction expires in late September.

World's Newest Nation South Sudan Names UN Ambassador'

South Sudan has appointed its first ambassador to the United Nations, bolstering a small and inexperienced diplomatic corps w h ich has been

struggling to make the new nation's case in disputes with Sudan over oil and the shared border. South Sudan has appointed its first ambassador to

the United Nations, bolstering a small and inexperienced diplomatic corps w h ich has been struggling to make the new nation's case in disputes

with Sudan over oil and the shared border. South Sudan seceded from its northern neighbour in July last year under a 2005 peace deal, and has

been trying to build up state institutions after decades of devastating civil war.

Nearly a year after declaring independence, Juba had only managed to set

up about half of the 22 embassies it set as its initial goal, the foreign minister told Reuters in June. Francis Deng, a respected scholar and

former special adviser to the U.N. Secretary General on the prevention of

genocide, has been appointed South Sudan's permanent representative to the United Nations. Deng told Reuters he would work to improve the

South's "waning" image abroad, but that it would not be easy. "South Sudan has gone from people being very sceptical about its independence

to supporting it, to now feeling somewhat negative," he said.

Having a UN ambassador could help South Sudan gain other nations' support in its disagreements with Sudan. The two countries have yet to

work out a list of issues related to partition, and the disputes have at times turned violent. In April, South Sudan occupied an oil-producing

region long held by Sudan, provoking widespread condemnation. South

Sudan said the land was disputed, but its poor diplomatic presence made that case harder to sell, diplomats said at the time.

South Sudan withdrew from the region under pressure, and tension has

since eased. Deng said he hoped for a breakthrough between the two sides at African Union-brokered talks resuming this week in Ethiopia. "I

believe that we have probably gone through the worst already, and that an agreement is in sight," he said. "In fact the agreement has been

reached, it's just that it's supposed to be a package and so the other elements have to be included." A deal between the two sides on border

security could open the way to resuming oil exports, which the landlocked

South shut down in January in a dispute with Khartoum over how much it should pay to send the crude through Sudan.

The move wiped out 98 percent of South Sudan's state revenues, and

Deng said this would affect the funds available for diplomats representing the South. "I'm quite impressed the South has been able to function this

far with no revenues from oil," he said. "I still don't fully understand how that's possible." South Sudan voted overwhelmingly to secede in a 2011

referendum promised by the peace deal that ended the civil war. Some 2 million people died in the conflict, fought over religion, ethnicity, oil and

ideology. (September 2, 2012)

South Sudan Inflation Eases To 43.3% In August'

South South Sudan's annual inflation eased to 43.3 percent in August

from 60.9 percent in July as food costs eased slightly, official data showed. South Sudan's annual inflation eased to 43.3 percent in August

from 60.9 percent in July as food costs eased slightly, official data

showed. South Sudan seceded from Sudan in July 2011 under a 2005 peace agreement with its former civil war foe but has been struggling to

tackle an economic crisis and contain tribal and rebel violence undermining development.

Inflation had been on the rise since landlocked South Sudan shut down its

oil production in January to protest against seizures of its oil by Sudan through which it needs to export its crude. Oil makes up 98 percent of

state revenues in one of the world's least developed countries. Month-on-

month inflation was unchanged in August compared to July, the National Bureau of Statistics said in its monthly bulletin. Costs for food and non-

alcoholic beverages fell by 1.2 percent in August compared to July, the data showed. But the cost for housing and water rose by 30.7 percent in

August.

Food makes up 71.39 percent of the inflation basket. Some analysts have said actual inflation is higher than the official figures. The South Sudanese

pound has sharply fallen since oil revenues dried up. But it recently regained some ground after the central bank signed a $100 million

agreement with Qatar National Bank to help fund imports. South Sudan

needs to import most of its food as it has no sizeable industry outside the oil sector. Violence on both sides of the Sudan border has hampered trade

with Sudan, from where much of the South's needs used to come from, especially food supplies. South Sudan reached an oil deal with Sudan last

month but it is unclear when production will resume as Khartoum wants to reach a border security deal first. Talks between the two countries are

currently ongoing in Ethiopia. (September 10, 2012)

South Sudan Accuses Sudan Of Supplying Arms To Rebel Group'

South Sudan accused Sudan on of air-dropping weapons to rebels, just as

the presidents of the African neighbours were about to meet to finalise a border security deal to restart oil exports. South Sudan accused Sudan on

Sunday of air-dropping weapons to rebels, just as the presidents of the African neighbours were about to meet to finalise a border security deal to

restart oil exports.

Sudan dismissed the charges and any links to rebels in the South, which

seceded from Khartoum in July last year under a 2005 peace deal that ended decades of civil war. Sudan, in turn, often accuses Juba of

supporting rebels in its borderlands. The claims came as Sudan's President Omar Hassan al-Bashir arrived in Ethiopia to wrap up with his southern

counterpart, Salva Kiir, two weeks of talks to end hostilities. African and Western officials have been trying to mediate a border security agreement

between the rivals which came close to war in April. South Sudan's army spokesman Philip Aguer said Sudanese military aircraft parachuted eight

parcels of weapons and ammunition to forces of militia leader David Yau Yau in the country's east on Friday and Saturday.

The rebels later attacked the town of Likuangole in Jonglei state, but were repulsed by the South's army (SPLA), he said. "Yesterday and today

Antonov (planes) have dropped arms and ammunition around Likuangole in front of everybody, including UNMISS (the U.N. mission in South

Sudan)," Aguer said. "This is not in the spirit of the current talks in Addis Ababa. While Khartoum talks peace, their deeds on the ground tell a

contrary story of hostile acts of conspiracy against the Republic of South

Sudan." UNMISS was not immediately available for comment. Sudanese army spokesman al-Sawarmi Khalid said: "The Sudanese army has no

relation to any rebel group in South Sudan and is not giving any military

support to these groups."

Yau Yau, one of several militia leaders fighting the government in South Sudan, is attempting to recruit armed youth from the Murle ethnic group

since arriving in the area in late July, residents in Jonglei say. A shortwave radio station with links to the Yau Yau rebellion says the group is fighting

the government in reaction to abuses committed during a state disarmament programme. Rights groups and UNMISS accuse South

Sudan's army of human rights violations during a disarmament push aimed at ending a cycle of clashes between the Murle and Lou Nuer tribes.

Nearly 900 people died when about 7,000 armed youths of the Luo Nuer tribe attacked Murle villages in the Pibor area at the end of last year,

according to the United Nations. . South Sudan is awash with weapons after a decades-long civil war with Khartoum that killed an estimated 2

million people. The government, run mostly by former guerrilla fighters, has struggled to assert control over its vast and restive territories since

declaring independence. The two nations have been negotiating in Addis Ababa many issues left over from the secession such as marking the

border and agreeing on fees for South Sudan to export its crude through the north. Juba stopped its exports in January after tensions escalated.

(September 23, 2012)

Sudan/South Sudan: Abyei Remains Sticking Point'

Sudan and South Sudan have differed on proposals to end their deadly

border disputes despite the highly productive talks held in neighbouring Ethiopia. Juba wants the disputes solved through a referendum while

Khartoum prefers a political solution. The two countries have fought over

the oil rich Abyei region, which separates their territories and the tension escalated to a cross border war early this year. Both countries claim to

possess evidence that the region is within their borders. South Sudan's Cabinet Affairs minister Deng Alor Kuol told journalists on Tuesday that a

political solution was out of the question. "We can not allow Abyei's status to be dealt with politically," he said. "We can not accept Sudan's claim

that the status of the contested Abyei region should be resolved politically rather than through a referendum." Alor who had just returned from

Kenya said South Sudan had decided to refer the Abyei issue to the Peace and Security Council of the African Union. He said that the AU will

subsequently table it at the UN Security Council. "The decision of the Sudan people's liberation Movement (SPLM), the government of the

Republic of South Sudan and President Kiir in the latest meetings was that Abyei's file should be moved to the Africa Union peace and security council

and then to the UN security council," he said. The AU especially (former

South African President Thabo) Mbeki's committee will this month present

the issue to the UN Security Council possibly on the third week of this

month. Sudan argues a referendum would not solve the dispute. The country's Foreign Affairs ministry spokesperson Al-Obeid Ahmed Marawah

said Sudan prefered a political solution. "A referendum might bring war

between the two countries," he said. Recently the two countries reached an agreement that saw South Sudan resuming oil exports through Sudan.

The Africa Report, Godfrey Olukya (October 10, 2012)

On South Sudan's National Soccer Squad’

Team coach, Zoran Dorjdevic, is a worried man just a few days before his

team makes their debut in the Cecafa Challenge Cup’ After being granted membership of Fifa earlier this year, South Sudan are struggling to

prepare properly for their first senior competition. They will face a tough test in Uganda, where they have been drawn against the hosts and

defending Cecafa Challenge Cup champions, as well as Kenya and Ethiopia. Dorjdevic (pictured above) told BBC Sport in Juba on Saturday

that he is not very comfortable going into the tournament because his team has barely trained or even had friendly matches. "We are not in

good shape at all, although the players are very excited going into the first tournament of this kind," added Dorjdevic, whose team held Uganda

to a 2-2 home draw in a warm-up match in July. He said it is high-time the government of South Sudan came to the rescue of the national team

and provide equipment and facilities for training. "We are already late and need to train for a few days," added the Serbian coach who admitted that

most players are fit because the league has just concluded. "The

government should provide facilities as soon as possible to prepare our team. We shall go and participate without friendly games, which is not

acceptable. "It is the same as bringing your soldiers into war without food, without proper weapons or uniforms. How do you expect them to

fight?" Among some of the players included on the South Sudan team are Hilal Khartoum's goalkeeper Juma Genaro, together with Richard Justin

and James Joseph who both netted in the draw against Uganda in July. South Sudan will open the event on 24 November against Ethiopia,

the region's only qualifiers for the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations. The other teams taking part in the event include Sudan, Tanzania, Burundi, Somalia,

Rwanda, Zanzibar, Eritrea and guest side Malawi.

BBC Sport, by Andrew Jackson Oryada

South Sudan Plans Mediation Between Ethiopia And Eritrea'

Newly independent South Sudan plans to help resolve the long-running

border dispute between Ethiopia and Eritrea, a senior official said.. The

newly independent South Sudan plans to help resolve the long-running border dispute between Ethiopia and Eritrea, a senior official said on

Wednesday. South Sudan's minister for cabinet affairs, Deng Alor, said Addis Ababa and Asmara had given the green light for mediation talks on

the border, which could start as early as November. "We have close ties with both countries so we are planning to mediate and solve the problems

that they have between them," Deng Alor, South Sudan's minister for

cabinet affairs, told Reuters. Ethiopian and Eritrean officials were not available to comment. Ethiopia has said its conflict with Asmara over the

demarcation of their shared border following a 1998-2000 war would be

solved only through a negotiated settlement.

South Sudan is still embroiled in its own frontier argument with its northern neighbour, Sudan. The two countries broke apart last year under

a 2005 peace deal that ended decades of civil war. Alor said South Sudanese President Salva Kiir and other senior officials were set to name

a delegation "very soon" that would travel to both capitals. "We will embark on rounds of shuttle diplomacy between the two countries. We are

hoping to start in November," Alor said. A Hague-based boundary commission awarded the flashpoint frontier village of Badme to Eritrea in

2002. But Ethiopia has yet to conform with the ruling, insisting on further

negotiations on its implementation. Asmara wants Ethiopia to pull its troops out before normalising relations. The two countries nearly returned

to war in March when Addis Ababa launched cross-border attacks in Eritrea on what it said were rebel targets. Both countries routinely accuse

each other of backing dissidents to destabilise and topple the other's government. Ethiopian strongman Meles Zenawi died in August. (October

24, 2012)

South Sudan make their competitive soccer debut when they meet Ethiopia in the opening game of the East and Central African Senior

Challenge Cup’ The newly born state of South Sudan make their

competitive soccer debut when they meet Ethiopia in the opening game of the East and Central African Senior Challenge Cup, the continent's oldest

regional competition. But the world's newest nation, which achieved independence 16 months ago, has sent a team to hosts Uganda with just

15 players and the coach says they have had little chance to train and no preparatory matches. "It's the same as taking your soldiers to war without

food," said well-travelled Serbian Zoran Dorjdevic in a radio interview. "How do you expect them to fight? With love or by spirit?" The coach said

the players were nevertheless excited about competing in the 12-nation championship, being played in Kampala, but not in any shape to prove

competitive. The squad includes two veteran former Sudan internationals, Richard Lado and James Moja Joseph, who plays club football in India.

Two American-based players were expected to join the team before Saturday's kickoff. South Sudan will also play Kenya and hosts Uganda in

their other Group A matches. South Sudan have competed in just a single

international - a 2-2 draw with neighbours Uganda at home in Juba in July to celebrate their affiliation to FIFA, who have them ranked 200th in the

world standings.

FBI agent heads to South Sudan to investigate journalist's killing'

A senior U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation official will travel to South

Sudan to help investigate the killing of a journalist critical of the

government, the U.S. embassy said on Tuesday. Diing Chan Awuol, who

wrote online opinion pieces for newspapers and blogs, was shot in the face at his home in Juba this month, police said. Journalists frequently

complain of harassment and detention by South Sudan's security services,

but it was the first time one had been killed since the country became independent last year. On December 13, South Sudan's President Salva

Kiir accepted an offer from the U.S. ambassador of FBI assistance in finding the killer, the U.S. embassy said in a statement. The official will

arrive this week, it added.

A week before his death, Awuol - who wrote under the pen name Issaiah Abraham - had complained unknown men were trying to silence him, his

brother said this month. South Sudan seceded from Sudan under the terms of a 2005 peace deal that ended decades of civil war. The long

conflict left the new nation severely underdeveloped and awash with

weapons. France-based Reporters Without Borders ranks South Sudan 111th out of 179th in its 2011-2012 press freedom index. By Reuters

(December 19, 2012)

Accession to power of Salva Kiir Mayardit by general election

Tentative Election calendar – April

South Sudan - Hydro-politics & Regional Understanding:

Ethiopia and Egypt, working through the African Union (AU), have asked

Sudan and South Sudan to resume negotiations to end their war. Discussions have taken place in Ethiopia and Egypt. Since the time of the

pharaohs Egypt has regarded Sudan as its backdoor. Ethiopia has

remained nominally neutral in the Sudan-South Sudan War, but has cultural and historical connections with the people of South Sudan. Egypt

is predominantly Muslim, as is Sudan, Ethiopia is predominantly Christian, as is South Sudan. Ethiopia and Egypt are both much more powerful than

either of the Sudans. The nightmare scenario for an escalating East African war has Egypt aligning with Sudan and Ethiopia aligning with

South Sudan. Call it “The Great Nile River War”, because Nile water issues play a huge role in Ethiopian and Egyptian strategic planning. Ethiopian

and Egyptian leaders, however, know that war will have no winner. Cooler heads in Ethiopia and Egypt are trying to calm the hot heads in Sudan and

South Sudan.

NILE POLITICS: South Sudan rebuffs Egypt on Nile waters agreements’

WIC - Addis Ababa, March 22, 2013: South Sudan has expressed its

opposition to a 1959 Nile Water agreements between Sudan and Egypt. The country said it was already on its way to join the Cooperative

Framework agreement, which Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and Tanzania signed in 2010, and later Burundi in 2011. "South Sudan does

not recognise - and underline does not recognise – the content of the 1959 agreement,” said Water and Irrigation minister Paul Mayom Akech.

“Having been under Sudan at the time, we could not say anything, today

we say, we have nothing to do with this agreement,” the minister said.

Riparian countries that signed the Cooperative Framework agreement are discontent with the 1959 deal that gives Sudan and Egypt a larger share

of the Nile waters. “We have joined the NBI (Nile Basin Initiative) and are

already a long way to joining the Cooperative Framework agreement, being an entity within which all the Nile Basin countries come together and

discuss how best they could utilise the water resource,” Mr Mayom said. He told a local radio station that; “Egypt, Sudan and the DR Congo have

refused to ratify the agreement for reasons that it contravenes the 1959 agreement". Egypt dispatched a high profile delegation led by Prime

Minister Hisham Qandil to South Sudan last week to, among others, seek support for its position against the Cooperative Framework agreement. Mr

Qandil signed Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with Vice-President Riek Machar on education, health, agriculture and investment. There was

none on Nile waters. Mr Mayom said Juba was planning the launch of a draft document for technical cooperation with Egypt. (African Review)

South Sudan – Timeline Diaries updates, and related key notes:

1899 to 1955 - South Sudan is part of Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, under joint British-Egyptian rule.

1956 - Sudan gains independence from joint British-Egyptian rule

1962 - Civil war led by the southern seperatist Anya Nya movement begins with north.

1969 - Group of socialist and communist Sudanese military officers led by

Col Jaafar Muhammad Numeiri seizes power; Col Numeiri outlines policy of

autonomy for south.

1972 - Government of Sudanese President Jaafar Numeiri concedes a measure of autonomy for southern Sudan in a peace agreement signed in

Addis Ababa.

1978 - Oil discovered in Unity State in southern Sudan.

1983 - Fighting breaks out again between north and south Sudan, under

leadership of John Garang's Sudanese People's Liberation Movement (SPLM), after Sudanese President Jaafar Numeiri abolishes South Sudan's

autonomy.

1988 - Democratic Unionist Party - part of Sudan's ruling coalition

government - drafts cease-fire agreement with the SPLM, but it is not implemented.

June 30, 1989 – The Sudanese military seizes power in Sudan

2001 - Sudanese Islamist leader Hassan Al-Turabi's party, the Popular

National Congress, signs memorandum of understanding with the

southern rebel SPLM's armed wing, the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA). Mr Al-Turabi is arrested the next day.

2002 - SPLA and Sudanese sign agreement on six-month renewable

cease-fire in central Nuba Mountains - a key rebel stronghold.

Talks in Kenya lead to a breakthrough agreement between southern rebels

and Sudanese government on ending the civil war. The Machakos Protocol provides for the south to seek self-determination after six years.

January 2005 - North/South Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) ends

civil war; deal provides for a permanent ceasefire, autonomy for the south, a power-sharing government involving rebels in Khartoum and a

south Sudanese referendum on independence in six years' ti

July 2005 - Former southern rebel leader John Garang is sworn in as first

vice-president. A new Sudanese constitution which gives the south a large degree of autonomy is signed.

August 2005 - South Sudanese leader John Garang is killed in a

Helicopter crash. He is succeeded by Commander Salva Kiir Mayardiit. Mr

Garang's death sparks deadly clashes in the capital Khartoum between southern Sudanese and northern Arabs.

September 2005 - Power-sharing government is formed in Khartoum.

October 2005 - Autonomous government is formed in South Sudan, in line

with the January 2005 peace deal. The administration is dominated by

former rebels.

November 2006 - Hundreds die in fighting centred on the southern town of Malakal - the heaviest between northern Sudanese forces and former

rebels since the 2005 peace deal.

October 2007 - SPLM temporarily suspends participation in national unity

government, accusing Khartoum of failing to honour the 2005 peace deal. Returns to government in December.

March 2008 - Tensions rise over clashes between an Arab militia and SPLM

in the disputed Abyei area on the north-south divide - a key sticking point in the 2005 peace accord.

May 2008 - Intense fighting breaks out between northern and southern forces in disputed oil-rich town Abyei

June 2008 - Southern Sudanese leader Salva Kiir and Sudanese President

Omar Bashir agree to seek international arbitration to resolve dispute over Abyei.

October 2008 - Allegations that Ukrainian tanks hijacked off the coast of Somalia were bound for southern Sudan spark fears of an arms race

between the North and former rebels in the South.

June 2009 - Khartoum government denies it is supplying arms to ethnic groups in the south to destabilise the region.

July 2009 - North and south Sudan say they accept ruling by arbitration

court in The Hague shrinking disputed Abyei region and placing the major Heglig oil field in the north.

December 2009 - Leaders of North and South reach deal on terms of referendum on independence due in South by 2011

Numerous rebellions have arisen in the run-up to South Sudan's

independence

January 2010 - President Omar Bashir says he will accept referendum

result, even if South opted for independence.

January 2011 - The people of South Sudan vote in favour of full independence from Sudan.

February 2011 - Clashes between the security forces and rebels in southern Sudan's Jonglei state leave more than 100 dead. Fighting breaks

out near Abyei.

March 2011 - Government of South Sudan says it is suspending talks with the North, accusing it of plotting a coup.

May 2011 - North occupies disputed border region of Abyei.

June 2011 June - Governments of north and south Sudan sign accord to demilitarize the disputed Abyei region and let in an Ethiopian

peacekeeping force.

July 9, 2011 - Independence day.

August 2011 - UN says at least 600 people are killed in ethnic clashes in

the state of Jonglei.

September 2011 - South Sudan's cabinet votes to designate Ramciel - a

planned city in Unity State - as the future capital.

October 2011 - President Salva Kiir makes historic first visit Khartoum since independence. South Sudan and Sudan agree to set up several

committees tasked with resolving their outstanding disputes.

At 75 people are killed when rebels of the South Sudan Liberation Army

attack the town of Mayom, in Unity State.

November 2011 - South Sudan blames Sudan for the aerial bombardment of a refugee camp in Yida, in Unity State; Sudan's army denies being

responsible.

January 2012 - South Sudan declares a disaster in Jonglei State after

some 100,000 flee clashes between rival ethnic groups.

February 2012 - Sudan and South Sudan sign non-aggression pact at talks on outstanding secession issues, but Sudan then shuts down the

South's oil export pipelines in a dispute over fees. South Sudan halves public spending on all but salaries in consequence.

April 28, 2012: After weeks of border fighting, South Sudan troops

temporarily occupy the oil field and border town of Heglig before being repulsed. Sudanese warplanes raid the Bentiu area in South Sudan.

SUDAN/SOUTH SUDAN - Two countries at war in all but name: ION No 1331: In keeping with its interest in preventing a conflict between the two

Sudans before its presidential election in November, the United States has been trying for months to temper President Salva Kiir of South Sudan

while at the same time being careful with his counterpart Omar al Bashir in the North.

May 2012 - Sudan pledges to pull its troops out of the border region of Abyei, which is also claimed by South Sudan, as bilateral peace talks

resume.

July 2012 - Country marks first anniversary amid worsening economic crisis and no let-up in tension with Sudan.

August 2012 - Some 200,000 refugees flee into South Sudan to escape fighting between Sudanese army and rebels in Sudan's southern border

states.

September 2012 - The presidents of Sudan and South Sudan agree trade, oil and security deals after days of talks in Ethiopia. They plan to set up a

demilitarised buffer zone and lay the grounds for oil sales to resume. They fail however to resolve border issues including the disputed Abyei

territory.

November 3, 2012: SOUTH SUDAN New State already in a hopeless

situation’

ION No 1343: President Salva Kiir is becoming the sacrificial victim of the real politik he is instigating with North Sudan. With the first anti-

government demonstrations taking place in Juba in early October and unrest growing among army officers leading to fears that a coup is

mounting, the President is in a very uncomfortable position.

March 2013 - Sudan and South Sudan agree to resume pumping oil after

a bitter dispute over fees that saw production shut down more than a year earlier. They also agreed to withdraw troops from their border area to

create a demilitarised zone.

April 9, 2013: Five Indian UN troops killed in South Sudan'

BBC News: Five Indian peacekeepers escorting a UN convoy in South

Sudan have been killed in an ambush by rebels, the office for the UN secretary-general has said. The peacekeepers were serving with the UN

Mission in the Republic of South Sudan (UNMISS). Two Unmiss national staff and five civilian staff contractors were also killed in the attack. Nine

others were injured, some seriously. The violence happened in Jonglei state, a haven for armed groups. Unmiss has been in South Sudan since

the country's creation in 2011, with a remit to preserve peace and

security. In a statement, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he was

"appalled" by the attack in Gumuruk, and called on "the government of South Sudan to bring the perpetrators of this crime to justice". The Indian

foreign ministry said arrangements were being made to repatriate the

bodies of the Indian nationals. Correspondents say that Jonglei has been hit by widespread ethnic violence since South Sudan became independent

from Sudan in July 2011 - with much of it taking place in Pibor county, where the UN peacekeeping force is based.

South Sudan's military spokesman, Colonel Philip Aguer, blamed the

attack on militants led David Yau Yau, who South Sudan says is being armed by Sudan. UNMISS chief Hilde Johnson said last month that the

government was expected soon to launch an offensive against fighters loyal to Mr Yau Yau in Jonglei. Ms Johnson urged authorities and

communities in Jonglei state "to take all necessary steps to prevent inter-

communal violence and attacks by armed groups which are threatening civilians and spurring a deadly cycle of violence". "The destabilisation of

Jonglei must stop," she said. Insecurity in the state has been exacerbated by a cattle-raiding feud between rival ethnic groups, which has left

hundreds of people dead and some 100,000 displaced since independence. India is a major contributor to UN peacekeeping forces

around the world and has suffered losses in the past.

October 25, 2013: South Sudan - K-Rep Bank’

(EAN) Specialised in micro-credit and chaired by Kenny Nwosu, K-Rep

Bank could soon be the next Kenyan banking institution to set up a subsidiary in Juba.

October 22, 2013: Sudan: Kiir-Bashir Summit Ends Without Solution On

Abyei Deadlock'

ST - Sudan Summit Provides No Solution to Abyei Deadlock' A summit

between President Salva Kiir and his Sudanese counterpart, Omer Hassan Al-Bashir has ended with no viable solution on the fate of the disputed oil-

producing Abyei region. The two leaders, officials told Sudan Tribune, mainly explored ways of strengthening relations between them, barely a

month after they signed an agreement for establishment of official entry crossing points on both sides of their borders. Tuesday's meeting, which

took place in the South Sudan capital, Juba also looked into issues of trade and mutual cooperation between the two nations. Prior the meeting,

however, the African Union Peace and Security Council (AUPSC) had hoped the two leaders would use the summit as an opportunity to take

concrete steps aimed at resolving the final status of the disputed oil-

producing region. A joint communiqué obtained by Sudan Tribune said the Kiir and his Sudan counterpart only agreed on general terms for

administration and policing of Abyei, to be handled by both parties. The two leaders, it further added, also agreed "to expedite the establishment

of Abyei Administration, Council and Police organs, and reaffirm that the 2% share of Abyei Area's oil revenue, including arrears, will be paid to the

Abyei Administration." Resolving the final status of Abyei still remains a

major issue between the Sudan and South Sudan after the latter broke away from the former in July 2011, leaving several unresolved post-

secession issues. Last year, the AU mediation team proposed holding a

referendum in Abyei this month, but stated that only those residing permanently in the area will be allowed to vote in the plebiscite and

decide whether they want to join Sudan or South Sudan. The Sudanese government, however, rejected the AU proposal aimed at breaking the

deadlock over Abyei referendum saying it ignored that the eligibility of the Misseriya. The Ngok Dinka openly declared their intention to conduct the

Abyei area community referendum this month after a general conference its community members held on Friday in Abyei town last week. The

move, which was inadvisable by African and international bodies, would put the area at high risk of communal violence between the Ngok Dinka

and Misseriya who also claim ownership of the same region.

Experts react: Abraham Awolich, a director at the Juba-based The Sudd

Institute said he would not be surprised if the Ngok Dinka went ahead and organised a referendum in Abyei. "The protocol on Abyei remains the only

unresolved issue in the CPA [Comprehensive Peace Agreement]. For the reason, the people of Abyei feel betrayed and it would not be surprised if

they took such a unilateral decision," Awolich told Sudan Tribune. The populations feel there is nothing left to be negotiated, other than find a

solution aimed at resolving the final status of the contested region, he added. Edmund Yakani, a South Sudanese activist said the two heads of

states should have agreed on the way forward for Abyei referendum and how to resolve other outstanding post independence issues."The

international community and the partners of the CPA should show commitment to full implementation of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace

Agreement (CPA)", he said.

October 27, 2013: Sudan: Abyei Residents Vote On Sudan-South Sudan

Choice'

VoA - Afrcan News: A tribe residing in a disputed border region claimed by both Sudan and South Sudan held a unilateral vote Sunday to decide

which country to join. The three-day vote in the oil-rich Abyei region was

not sanctioned by either government, and it was unclear early Monday whether the outcome would be accepted by either side. Neither country

has been able to decide who should vote in the Abyei referendum, a standoff that has delayed the vote for months. The Khartoum government

has demanded the Sudan-allied minority Misseriya nomads vote alongside the majority Ngok Dinka, while the Juba government wants polling limited

to its Ngok Dinka allies.The Associated Press quoted vote organizers Sunday as saying they expected up to 100,000 Ngok Dinka people to cast

ballots, despite warnings from the African Union that the unsanctioned voting would increase the risk of violence between the two tribes. South

Sudan President Salva Kiir and his Sudanese counterpart Omar al-Bashir met last week in Juba, where they agreed to work on fully re-opening

their two countries' shared border, which was closed after fighting last

year. The two countries also have had disputes over oil, which is pumped from the south but must pass through the north to reach international

markets.

October 29, 2013: South Sudan: Sudan's Misseriya to Hold Counter-

Referendum in Abyei'

ST Khartoum — The Misseriya tribe announced Tuesday, the organisation of an unilateral referendum to determine the fate of the disputed area of

Abyei in riposte to the process organised by the Ngok Dinka who prepare

to announce the results of their vote. People from the Misseriya tribe of Abyei protest against the proposal of African Union (AU) mediator former

South African president Thabko Mbeki for a referendum to decide whether the region belonged to Sudan or South Sudan, outside the United Nations

(U.N.) and AU headquarters in Khartoum, Sudan, November 28, 2012. (File photo/ Reuters). The National Youth and Student Organisation for

Abyei, a youth group composed by Misseriya and Ngok Dinka youth from the disputed region announced in a press conference held in the Sudanese

capital Khartoum the organisation of a popular referendum on the future on the areas. The chairman of the group Mahmoud Abdel Karim said the

vote will be open to all the resident of Abyei without excluding anyone, adding they invited regional and international organisations to monitor the

process and mobilised volunteers to participate in the popular process. He further called on the Sudanese, South Sudanese governments, African

Union and the United Nations to recognise the result of their

referendum. The group's secretary general, Ggor Deng, denounced the ongoing vote in in the region organised by Abyei high referendum

committee, adding they welcomed the outcome of the presidential summit in Juba and support the establishment of joint administration and

legislative council in Abyei as well as the police force. Presidents Omer Al-Bashir and Salva Kiir agreed in a meeting held in Juba on 22 October to

form the temporary institutions agreed on 20 June 2011 and to resume their discussions over the organisation of a referendum in accordance with

the 2005 peace agreement. The African Union and the United Nations disapproved the vote organised by Abyei community and called to refrain

from unilateral actions, fearing that it could lead to ignite tensions between Sudan and South Sudan and stop the normalisation process

engaged by the two governments. The Misseriya paramount chief Mukhtar Babu Nimir, this week strongly criticised the unilateral referendum in

Abyei and warned they would organise their process to maintain Abyei in

Sudan. "We will also organise a referendum similar (to the referendum of the Dinka Ngok) .. If the result of their referendum was in favor of joining

the South, we will organise a referendum to join the North", he said in an interview with Al-Meghar newspaper on 25 October.

October 30, 2013: Sudan's Misseriya Slam Juba for Not Preventing Abyei

Referendum'

Khartoum, Sudan — The Misseriya youth group on Wednesday announced

they are no longer committed to any agreement by Khartoum and Juba and criticised the South Sudanese government for not preventing the

organisation of the unilateral vote. The National Youth and Student

Organisation for Abyei (NYSOA), which includes the Misseriya of Abyei and Dinka Nogk members of the National Congress Party, announced on

Tuesday their intention to hold counter - referendum in the disputed area of Abyei. In a second press conference held in Khartoum, the group

denounced the position of the South Sudanese government saying that Juba failed to stop leading members of the ruling Sudan People's

Liberation Movement (SPLM) from organising the vote, stressing that it bears the result of their action. In a press conference held at the

headquarters of the official news agency SUNA in Khartoum, NYSOA secretary general, Al-Saleh Mohamed Al-Saleh said no body has to blame

them for any action they can undertake "to defend Abyei".

Juba has failed to dissuade what he called " influential sons of the Ngok

Dinka in the SPLM" from holding this referendum, he said, adding that nobody further held them accountable for violating the agreements signed

between the two countries. Al-Saleh said their group will take all the necessary steps enabling them to protect the region from the hands of the

Nogk Dinka members of the SPLM He pointed out that Abyei belongs to the Misseriya and Nogk Dinka and they would not accept any compromise

on this matter. The South Sudanese government officially disapproved the organisation of the referendum. Also the African Union and the United

Nations called to refrain from unilateral actions. More the head of the AU commission, Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, termed the process as "illegal" and

condemned it. Sudanese co-chair of Abyei steering committee, Al-Khair Al-Faheem, on Wednesday distanced the government from the initiative of

the NYSOA members saying that Khartoum does not support any

unilateral referendum organised by Ngok Dinka or Misseriya. He further stressed the need to establish the joint administration and police force

there. A Misseriya tribal leader Al-Hireika Mohamed Osman told the semi-official SMC that they wrote to the president Omer Al-Bashir asking him to

denounce all the agreements signed over Abyei with the South Sudan adding they have 30.000 Misseriya (fighters) ready to defend the region if

the Ngok Dinka declare Abyei part of the South Sudan.

On the other hand, the National Assembly speaker Ahmed Ibrahim Al-Tahir condemned the organisation of a referendum in Abyei saying "What

is happening in Abyei is a rebellion similar to what happened in South

Kordofan and Blue Nile". Al-Tahir further said that the group, which organised the referendum, tries to ignite war between the two countries.

"Whatever they do, their move will not be legitimate", he added. The speaker was reacting to statements by the head of the parliamentarian

opposition block Ismail Hussein who said that Khartoum and Juba jointly bear the responsibility of the referendum organised by the Ngok Dinka in

Abyei. Hussein who is a member of the Popular Congress Party of Hassan

Al-Turabi, said the failure of the two government to reach an agreement

on the organisation of the referendum triggered the unilateral referendum and the on-going preparations for the counter-referendum. He however

rejected Tahir's accusations that what he said means he had sympathy for

those who organised a referendum in Abyei. The Abyei referendum committee chairman and former minister Deng Alor said they were forced

to hold this unilateral vote after expressing their frustration with the " inaction by the African Union Peace and Security Council (AUPSC) to

implement the African Union High-Level Implementation Panel (AUHIP) proposal on the final status of Abyei". In September 2012, Thabo Mbeki ,

AUHIP chairman proposed to hold a referendum to determine the future of Abyei with the participation of the Ngok Dinka only excluding the Misseriya

vote.

November 2, 2013: South Sudan: Opposition Leader Returns After Years

in Exile'

ST Juba: Lam Akol, the leader of the main opposition party in South Sudan returned to the country on Saturday, bringing to an end over two

years of self-imposed exile. Lam, who heads the Sudan Peoples Liberations Movement for Democratic Change (SPLM-DC), returned nearly

a month after president Salva Kiir unexpectedly issued an executive order pardoning key opposition leaders and a number of former militia

commanders. He was accused of supporting a rebellion in his home state of Upper Nile to destabilise the country, an allegation he repeatedly

denied. On arrival at Juba airport, however, the SPLM-DC leader said he

was happy to return home, adding it was time for South Sudanese to put aside their differences and work together for prosperity. "The time has

come for all the people of South Sudan to come together and work for the success of this new nation," Lam told reporters in the capital, Juba. Akol,

a former member of the governing Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM), previously served as Sudan's minister of foreign affairs from 2005

to October 2007 under the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) signed in 2005. In 2010, he unsuccessfully challenged Kiir for the presidency,

garnering only 7% of votes in an election, which he claimed, was highly flawed in favour of the incumbent.

LAM INNOCENT? A section of the country's population expressed mixed reactions over Kiir's decision to pardon his main rival in the elections,

while others questioned his intentions. "Much as I welcome the decision of the president to pardon those militia leaders, which is a sign of peace and

harmony, I do not understand what crime has Lam Akol committed for him to be included", said a citizen, who spoke on condition of

anonymity."The president is being misled. Being in opposition does not amount to rebellion", he added.Simon Deng, a native of Jonglei based in

Juba said he was still not aware of what charges Akol was being pardoned for. "I have never heard what he was accused of. I thought he was only

being criticised for staying in Khartoum. Is the pardon for having been self-exiled, or what? I do not understand. What really has [he] done?"

asked Deng. Urbano Othwon, a native of Upper Nile state currently based

in Juba, said the government could not substantiate the claims it made, even when it was challenged to prove it in court. "It was just allegations.

The government could not provide proof of the allegations. Lam and the

SPLM-DC leadership went to court with the SPLM in Khartoum he won the case when Sudan was still one country. So, the issuance of the order of

pardon is misplaced, though the intention of the president may be for good reason", he said.

November 4, 2013: East Africa: Abeyi Pressures Two Sudans for

Resolution'

IPS Juba: The non-binding referendum in Abyei - where people voted

overwhelmingly to join South Sudan - and the ensuing celebration, has brought little immediate resolution to the long-festering Abyei problem.

Instead, the spectre of potential conflict looms between the Dinka Ngok and the Khartoum-allied Misseriya tribe, who also lay claim to the

territory. Both Sudan and South Sudan claim the 10,000 square kilometre area, which is home to the Dinka Ngok and - seasonally - to the Misseriya,

who bring their cattle there for grazing. As the Human Security Baseline Assessment (HSBA), which provides independent analysis on issues facing

the Sudans, has pointed out, Abyei's grazing season starts this month. Soon the Misseriya will come into contact with some of the tens of

thousands of Dinka Ngok who returned to the area for the referendum. HSBA warns this will "pose great challenges for UNISFA" - the United

Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei. Abyei Referendum High

Committee spokesman Luka Biong acknowledged that violence is one possible - though unlikely - outcome of the vote. He told IPS a Misseriya

attack could "spark a small war or escalate into a bigger war if the South is prepared to fight." But neither government is interested in another

battle, he added. Biong explained that the Dinka Ngok leadership was under no illusion the referendum would settle the Abyei question once and

for all. That, however, was not really the point. "There's a possibility this could [create] real pressure," he said, adding that officials will have to

"see the consequence of what we have said." And in that they have been successful.

Though they are trying, the Dinka Ngok's actions will be hard for the two governments - especially Juba - to ignore. In the peace agreement that

ended the decades-long Sudanese civil war, the Abyei community was promised a referendum to coincide with the January 2011 ballot to

determine the future of southern Sudan. The south got their vote and promptly split from Sudan. But there was no referendum for Abyei. Last

September a panel of African Union (AU) experts called for a Dinka Ngok-only referendum for October this year. However, the AU backed away

from the proposal when Khartoum objected to the exclusion of the Misseriya. The Dinka Ngok leadership pressed ahead with the referendum,

despite warnings from the AU that the move could threaten peace in the region. And on Oct. 31, Abyei Referendum High Committee officials

announced the results of their hastily-organised, unilateral referendum to

determine the future of the disputed area. The vote only included the pro-South Dinka Ngok community and, as anticipated, the decision was nearly

unanimous - more than 63,000 people voted to join South Sudan. Twelve

people voted for Abyei to remain part of Sudan, officials reported. As soon as the votes were read, leaders of the nine Dinka Ngok kingdoms signed

pledges declaring their intention to join South Sudan. Officials in Juba, unwilling to upset their relationship with Khartoum, made their feelings

about the referendum known by keeping silent. But Biong is hoping that the Dinka Ngok vote will trigger the AU to re-start negotiations between

Khartoum and Juba. There is evidence this is already happening.

An AU team is set to arrive in Abyei Tuesday, Nov. 5, for a two-day visit. Ahead of the visit, they have already called for the U.N. Security Council

to extend its support to the September 2012 proposal, which calls for

"Abyei residents to determine their political future, and the right of continued access for migratory populations." Bringing Khartoum and Juba

to the table will be difficult, though. The notoriously chilly relationship between the two governments is currently thawing, signalled by Sudanese

President Omar al-Bashir's visit to Juba in October. Both countries are benefiting from the détente. When landlocked South Sudan seceded, it

took with it three-quarters of Sudan's oil reserves. But Sudan retained the only pipeline South Sudan has for exporting its crude. Early last year Juba

cut off oil production, citing the high fees Khartoum was charging to use the pipeline. The issue was resolved after more than a year and

production restarted in March. So far South Sudan has made 1.3 billion dollars from renewed sales, according to the Ministry of Petroleum, of

which it has paid 329 million dollars to Sudan. Dr. Alfred Lokuji, a professor of peace and rural development at the University of Juba, told

IPS that in light of the current situation, both sides will "be careful about

trying to escalate things" when it comes to Abyei. The leaders of the two countries have skirted the Abyei question. They have called for a joint

administration and police force for the region, but failed to set a timeline. They did not even broach the issue of a referendum, though Juba has

voiced support for the AU proposal in the past.

Mawien Makol Arik, South Sudan's foreign affairs ministry spokesperson, told IPS that the government would not allow the Dinka Ngok vote to

upset the improving relations. "The two presidents have laid out a communiqué to actually expedite the Abyei administration to be set up,"

he said. "Both governments are not part of the referendum, so there is

[no] disturbance that is going to happen." While Khartoum may be able to get away with not immediately addressing the issue, Juba might not have

that luxury. There are deep ties between Abyei and South Sudan, with many members of the Dinka Ngok serving in high-profile government

positions where they are well positioned to lobby the government. And President Salva Kiir's political rivals have already signalled they are

prepared to make political hay out of the issue if South Sudan decides to

keep quiet about Abyei. William Rial Liah, the secretary-general of the

opposition Democratic Unionist Party, travelled to Abyei in the days ahead of the referendum to show his support."We are behind the Abyei people,"

he told IPS. "Let the Abyei people go with this decision and we back them

until the end." While the outcome of the referendum may never be recognised, Dinka Ngok leaders may have gotten exactly what they

wanted out of the vote: bringing diplomatic and - in Juba's case - political pressure to bear so they finally get the referendum they were promised.

December 16, 2013:South Sudan repulses coup attempt, minister

says'

JUBA, South Sudan (AP) – News updates by TOM ODULA and CHARLTON

DOKI

Disgruntled soldiers and politicians led by a former vice president attempted to overthrow the South Sudanese government, a top

government official said Monday, as sporadic fighting continued between factions of the military in the latest violence to hit the world's youngest

nation. Some troops within the main army base raided the weapons store in the capital but were repulsed, South Sudanese Foreign Minister Barnaba

Marial Benjamin told The Associated Press Monday. The military insisted

the situation in Juba was tense but unlikely to get worse. Some politicians had been arrested, he said, but could not confirm if former Vice President

Riek Machar -who he said led the attempted coup -was among those in detention. President Salva Kiir had ordered a dawn-to-dusk curfew, he

said. Explosions and sporadic gunfire rang out early Monday in Juba amid repeated clashes between factions of the military, according to Col. Philip

Aguer, the South Sudan military spokesman, who insisted later on Monday that the army was now "in full control of Juba."

An Associated Press reporter saw heavily armed soldiers patrolling the

streets of Juba Monday amid the gunfire emerging from Juba's main army

barracks. The streets were largely empty of civilians, with most Juba residents staying indoors. EgyptAir reported that it had cancelled its flight

to Juba on Monday, saying the airport there was closed. The United Nations Mission in South Sudan on Monday reported the sound of mortar

and heavy machinegun fire, saying hundreds of civilians had sought refuge inside U.N. facilities. Tension had been mounting in the world's

youngest nation since Kiir fired Machar as his deputy in July. Machar, who has expressed a willingness to contest the presidency in 2015, said after

he was fired that if the country is to be united it cannot tolerate a "one man's rule or it cannot tolerate dictatorship." His ouster, part of a wider

dismissal of the entire Cabinet by Kiir, had followed reports of a power struggle within the ruling party. At the time, the United States and the

European Union urged calm amid fears the dismissals could spark political upheaval in the country.

While Kiir is leader of the ruling SPLM party, many of the dismissed ministers, including Machar, were key figures in the rebel movement that

fought a decades-long war against Sudan that led to South Sudan's

independence in 2011. The local Sudan Tribune newspaper reported on its website that military clashes erupted late Sunday between members of

the presidential guard in fighting that seemed to pit soldiers from Kiir's

Dinka tribe against those from the Nuer tribe of Machar. In a message to American citizens Monday, the U.S. Embassy in Juba said it had received

"reports from multiple reliable sources of ongoing security incidents and sporadic gunfire in multiple locations" across Juba. "The U.S. Embassy

has not been able to confirm that gunfire and insecurity have fully ceased," the message said. "The embassy recommends that all U.S.

citizens exercise extra caution at all times. The U.S. Embassy will continue to closely monitor the security environment in South Sudan, with

particular attention to Juba city and its immediate surroundings, and will advise U.S. citizens further if the security situation changes."

Hilde Johnson, special representative of the United Nations secretary-general for South Sudan, said in a statement that the U.N. mission in Juba

was "deeply concerned" over the fighting that broke out late Sunday and which continued Monday. "As the Special Representative of the Secretary

General I urge all parties in the fighting to cease hostilities immediately and exercise restraint," the statement sad. "I have been in touch regularly

with the key leaders, including at the highest levels to call for calm." South Sudan has experienced bouts of ethnic violence, especially

in rural Jonglei state, since the country peacefully broke away from Sudan after a brutal civil war. Odula reported from Nairobi, Kenya. Associated

Press reporters Rodney Muhumuza in Kampala, Uganda, and Maamoun Youssef in Cairo contributed to this report.

December 16, 2013 Heavy fighting reported in the capital involving armed units’

News updates: The fighting has lasted several hours, with residents in

juba hearing heavy gunshots and artillery fire as early as 6:00am. The fighting is said to be as a result of a failed coup attempt. The fighting is

believed to be as a result of the widening split between President Salva Kiir and sacked vice president Riek Machar. The government of South

Sudan is yet to issue a statement on the clashes that have sent

shockwaves across the war-torn country. As gunshots and loud explosions continue to spread around juba, sources said the juba international airport

has temporarily been closed. Two television stations are also reported to have been shut down. Meanwhile, South Sudan’s army has warned

residents of the capital, Juba, to remain in their homes. “We request people to remains in their residences until we establish the actual cause of

the shootings”, Phillip Aguer, the SPLA’s spokesperson told Sudan Tribune. Aguer said the army regrets the unfortunate incident which has left the

Juba population in a state of panic, but gave no further details on casualties involved. That was a report from Citizen news:

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) News updates By TOM ODULA — A South Sudanese

official says a group of disgruntled soldiers and politicians led by a former vice president have attempted to overthrow the government. South

Sudanese Foreign Minister Barnaba Marial Benjamin said Monday some

troops within the main army base raided the weapons store and were repulsed. Benjamin says casualties from fighting Monday morning are

still unknown. He says some politicians have been arrested but could not confirm if former Vice President Riek Machar, who he said led the attempt,

was among them. The president has ordered a dawn to dusk curfew. Tension has been mounting in the world’s youngest nation since South

Sudan President Salva Kiir fired Riak Machar as his deputy in July. Machar has expressed a willingness to contest the presidency in 2015.

BBC news follows: ‘Coup attempt’ – Heavy gunfire and explosions in the

South Sudanese capital, Juba'

Local media said the fighting was between rival factions of the presidential

guard and focused around their military barracks.Heavily armed troops are now patrolling Juba, and army spokesman Col Phillip Aguer told the

BBC the military was in full control. The UN expressed concern and appealed for all sides to show restraint.President Salva Kiir is expected to

make a statement shortly.South Sudan formally split from Sudan in 2011, after decades of conflict. But the oil-rich country is ethnically and

politically divided, with many armed groups active.Tensions have been particularly high since President Kiir dismissed his entire cabinet, including

his deputy Riek Machar, in July in an apparent power struggle.Mr Machar

had indicated he planned to contest the presidential elections in 2015. Mr Kiir is from the Dinka community, which is the largest in South Sudan,

while Mr Machar is from the Nuer, the second-largest. Some Nuer have complained about Dinkas political domination.

UN Concern: The fighting in Juba reportedly broke out overnight, and

intensified in the early morning. The Paris-based Sudan Tribune said the clashes began when one mostly Nuer unit of the presidential guard

became suspicious of deployments of a group of mainly Dinka guards. There were reports of continuous gunfire and the sound of explosions.

State TV channel SSTV was off air and the city’s airport has been closed.

The situation had reportedly calmed by mid-morning, but heavily armed troops were seen on the capital’s streets. One resident who lives near the

presidential guard barracks told the BBC that many people had sought refuge at a Catholic church. Col Aguer said the army was “establishing the

facts about the identity of those who started the fighting”. “The military intelligence is gathering information. As soon as the situation is cleared,

the government will come up and the army will make a statement about what it was,” he said.

Hilde Johnson, the UN’s special representative in South Sudan, said she

was “deeply concerned” about the fighting and urged “all parties in the

fighting to cease hostilities immediately and exercise restraint”. “I have

been in touch regularly with the key leaders, including at the highest

levels to call for calm,” she said.The UN mission in Juba said earlier that staff there were under lockdown. The UK and US embassies in Juba urged

their citizens via Twitter to stay indoors and exercise caution.

The US statement to citizens said it had suspended all routine services

amid “reports from multiple reliable sources of ongoing security incidents and sporadic gunfire in multiple locations across Juba”. The US embassy

also denied rumours that Mr Machar had taken shelter there. In a second statement, the US said embassy staff had spoken to a range of officials

and concerned parties “in order to urge calm, restraint, and a settling of differences through a peaceful political means rather than through

violence”.

December 17, 2013: More gunfire in South Sudan as military hunts

soldiers'

By Associated Press: KAMPALA, Uganda – Sporadic gunfire rang out in the capital, Juba, overnight as the military "cleared out remnants" of a faction

of soldiers accused of mounting a coup attempt, the country's foreign minister said Tuesday amid an ongoing hunt for the former deputy

president who is accused of leading the failed plot.

Barnaba Marial Benjamin told The Associated Press Tuesday that the

military had arrested five political leaders with suspected links to the coup attempt but that many more were yet to be traced. Chief among the

wanted is former Vice President Riek Machar, he said, who is now believed to be in hiding after he was fingered by President Salva Kiir as the

politician favored by a faction of soldiers who tried to seize power earlier this week.

"They are still looking for more...who are suspected of being behind the coup," Benjamin said, referring to the military.

Machar, he said, "is wanted by the government." The United States

Embassy in Juba and the United Nations Mission in South Sudan denied they are harboring Machar, he said.

The hunt for Machar, an influential politician who is one of the heroes of a brutal war of independence waged against Sudan, threatens to send the

world's youngest country into further political upheaval following months of a power struggle between Kiir and his former deputy.

Kiir fired Machar as his deputy in July, sparking fears of political upheaval.

Machar, the deputy leader of the ruling Sudan People's Liberation Movement, has said he will contest the presidency in 2015. He has openly

criticized Kiir, saying that if the country is to be united it cannot tolerate a

"one man's rule or it cannot tolerate dictatorship." At the time of Machar's ouster, part of a wider dismissal of the entire Cabinet by Kiir, the U.S. and

the European Union urged calm amid fears the dismissals could destabilize the country.

Kiir, who addressed the nation Monday in combat fatigues he rarely puts

on, vowed the plotters would face justice and then ordered a dusk-to dawn curfew in the city. It remains unclear how many people — civilians

or soldiers — have been killed or wounded in the latest violence, in which

mortar and heavy machinegun fire has been heard. The U.N. Mission in South Sudan reported Monday that hundreds of civilians had sought

refuge in U.N. facilities, urging calm and restraint.

South Sudan's government has given little details about how the coup was planned, saying an investigation is under way. But Benjamin said Monday

that a group of renegade soldiers attempted to steal weapons from an army barracks in Juba but were then repulsed, sparking gunfights Sunday

night and early Monday. Benjamin described the alleged coup plotters as "disgruntled."

The local Sudan Tribune newspaper reported on its website that military clashes erupted late Sunday between members of the presidential guard

in fighting that seemed to pit soldiers from Kiir's majority Dinka tribe against those from the Nuer tribe of Machar.

The office of U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon said in a statement that he was

"deeply concerned about reports of fighting between members of the

(Sudanese military) in Juba and about the risk of targeted violence against certain communities." He urged the country's military leaders to "impose

discipline on their forces and to exercise maximum restraint in the use of force."

The oil-rich East African nation has been plagued by ethnic tension since it

broke away from Sudan in 2011. In the rural Jonglei state, where the government is trying to put down a rebellion by a former colonel in the

country's armed forces, the military itself faces charges of widespread abuses against the Murle ethnic group of rebel leader David Yau Yau.

Thousands have been displaced from their homes, many seeking refuge

across the border.

December 18, 2013: South Sudan: At least 500 killed in fighting’

Up to 13,000 fled to UN Compounds in Juba city At least 500 killed, 800 wounded

UNITED NATIONS (AFP) -- Clashes between rival army factions in South Sudan have left up to 500 dead and 800 wounded, a top UN official told

the UN Security Council on Tuesday. The United Nations has been told by local hospitals that between 400 and 500 people have been killed in South

Sudan’s capital since Sunday, UN peacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous told the council, according to diplomats who attended a private briefing with

him. Troops loyal to President Salva Kiir have been fighting rival followers of former vice president Riek Machar. Salva Kiir has accused the rival

camp of staging a coup. Between 15,000 and 20,000 people have sought refuge in UN compounds around Juba, Ladsous was quoted as saying.

Ladsous told the council that the United Nations had not been able to

verify the toll given by two hospitals in the capital, Juba.

Security Council president Gerard Araud, France’s UN ambassador, said

after the emergency consultations that while the number of dead had not been confirmed “there is a heavy toll, it is obvious.” Araud added that

fighting had also been reported outside of the capital, in Pibor in Jonglei state which has a history of clashes between rival ethnic groups. The

government said 10 key figures including ex-ministers have been arrested, but that Riek Machar was on the run. Araud said the fighting

appeared to be on ethnic lines. Salva Kiir is an Ethnic Dinka while Riek Machar is a Nuer. A Security Council statement expressed “serious

concern” over the fighting that has caused “large numbers of casualties, as well as over the risk of targeted violence against certain

communities.” The council called on both sides to “immediately cease

hostilities.” UN leader Ban Ki-moon spoke with Salva Kiir on Tuesday and urged him to offer “dialogue” with the opposition. Ban also spoke with the

president of neighboring Uganda, Yoweri Musseveni, about the unrest, officials said. The Security Council also said Salva Kiir’s government

should hold talks with the opposition. The Security Council meeting was called at the request of the United States which has ordered non-essential

diplomatic staff out of South Sudan.- AFP

US orders staff out of South Sudan amid unrest: Meanwhile, the United States ordered nonemergency government personnel to leave South

Sudan and suspended normal operations at its embassy there Tuesday as

political and social unrest continued to confront the fledgling African nation, the Associated Press reported from Washington on Tuesday. The

State Department also warned U.S. citizens not to travel to South Sudan and recommended that Americans in the country depart immediately.

Routine consular services normally provided by the U.S. Embassy in Juba have been halted, although the embassy was still accepting requests for

emergency assistance from Americans. "U.S. citizens who choose to stay in South Sudan despite this warning should review their personal security

situation and seriously reconsider their plans to remain," the department said in a travel warning. The announcement came as South Sudan

remains on edge as its military hunts soldiers suspected of mounting a coup attempt on Sunday, sparking gunfights. Gunfire continued to ring out

Tuesday in Juba, South Sudan's capital. The fighting has forced about 13,000 people to seek refuge at United Nations facilities, the U.N. said. A

senior Ministry of Health official said at least 26 people, mostly soldiers,

have died in the violence, although other groups put the casualties in the hundreds.

White House spokesman Jay Carney said the U.S. is "deeply concerned"

about the situation and that President Barack Obama is being briefed on developments there. Carney called on South Sudan's government to open

critical points of entry and exit, including the airport, as the U.S. works to remove embassy personnel from the country. The oil-rich East African

nation has been plagued by ethnic tension since it broke away from Sudan

in 2011. "Circumstances there have gotten worse," Carney said, adding that the recent violence moves the nation further from its goal of forging

an inclusive, peaceful democratic state. But he said if South Sudan makes

the right choices going forward, "we are confident it can get back on track." The State Department urged Americans planning travel to South

Sudan to check for updates on its website and to notify the State Department in advance. U.S. citizens in South Sudan who need consular

services should contact U.S. embassies in Uganda, Ethiopia or Kenya.

December 19, 2013: South Sudan: Gov't loses control of provincial capital'

By CHARLTON DOKI and TOM ODULA, JUBA, South Sudan (AP) - South

Sudan, the world's newest country, is threatened by rapidly escalating ethnic violence, as officials said Thursday that the government no longer

controls the capital of its largest and most populous state. President Salva Kiir's earlier claim that an attempted coup had triggered the ongoing

violence was false, said a ruling party official. Instead the violence erupted Sunday when the presidential guard attempted to disarm fellow guard

members who belong to the Nuer ethnic group, said Choul Laam, chief of staff for the secretary general of the ruling Sudan People's Liberation

Movement. Those who tried to do the disarming were members of Kiir's majority Dinka tribe, Laam told reporters in Nairobi. "The situation in

South Sudan can be best described as tense and fragile. If it is not contained it could lead to ethnic cleansing," Laam warned. The South

Sudan government said the violence has already killed up to 500 people.

Juba, the capital, was reported calm on Wednesday and Thursday, but clashes were reported in Jonglei state.

Human Rights Watch said Thursday that South Sudanese soldiers fired

indiscriminately in highly populated areas of Juba and targeted people for their ethnicity during recent fighting in the city. Citing witnesses and

victims of the violence, the group reported that "soldiers specifically targeted people from the Nuer ethnic group." People were questioned

about their ethnicity and "deliberately shot" if they were Nuer. In some cases, the group added, the Dinka may have been targeted by Nuer

soldiers. The International Crisis Group also said Wednesday that armed

groups in Juba "targeted civilians based on ethnicity." As the unrest appeared to escalate, the United States has urged its citizens to depart

South Sudan immediately. Philip Aguer, the South Sudanese military spokesman, said military authorities in Bor, the capital of Jonglei state,

were not answering their phones Thursday, leading the central government to believe they had defected. "We lost control of Bor to the

rebellion," Aguer said. He said there were reported gunfights in Bor overnight as renegade officers tried to wrest control of the town from

loyalist forces. At least 19 civilians had been killed there, said Martin Nesirky, a spokesman for the U.N. secretary-general's office, citing figures

from the South Sudan Red Cross.

Kiir had announced to the nation that the violence was started by an

attempted coup led by ousted Vice President Riek Machar. Machar, a Nuer, has denied he was behind any coup attempt. Jodi Jongole Boyoris, a

lawmaker from Jonglei, said soldiers loyal to Machar now control Bor.

Machar, an influential politician who is a hero of the brutal war of independence against Sudan, is Kiir's rival for top leadership of the ruling

Sudan People's Liberation Movement party. Tensions had been mounting since Kiir fired Machar as his deputy in July. Machar, the deputy chairman

of the ruling party, later said he would contest the presidency in 2015. The think tank Eurasia Group said Kiir's firing of Machar in July alienated

the "long-aggrieved Nuer" in a country with "a factionalized military and a history of violent ethnic rivalries." United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon told

reporters Wednesday that South Sudan was experiencing a political crisis that "urgently needs to be dealt with through political dialogue." Ban said

he urged Kiir "to resume dialogue with the political opposition." South Sudan has been plagued by ethnic violence since it peacefully broke away

from Sudan in 2011 after decades of civil war. Odula reported from Nairobi, Kenyan. AP writer Rodney Muhumuza reported from Kampala,

Uganda

December 19, 2013: South Sudan: Renegade Soldiers Take Control of Bor'

EAN: Updates South Sudan have revealed that renegade soldiers,

reportedly loyal to defected army-General Peter Gatdet Yak, have taken over Bor, capital of Jonglei—the nation’s largest and most populous state.

According to reports, on Wednesday the renegade soldiers attacked

military bases in Pan-pandiar and Mulual-chaat, Bor with heavy artillery, forcing hundreds of soldiers and civilians to flee into nearby bushes. The

soldiers are also reported to have attacked other areas mostly inhabited by civilians.

2 top military officers from the Dinka ethnic group are reported to have

been killed in the clash which is colored with ethnic rivalry. South Sudanese Red Cross officials say at least 19 bodies have been discovered

in residential areas. 3 children are also reported to have drowned while attempting to cross the Nile yesterday, bringing the official death toll of

the city to about 27. But with many people unaccounted for, observers

fear the toll will increase. Nationally, the death toll currently stands at over 500, with hundreds injured, according to the United Nations Mission

in South Sudan (UNMISS) over 20,000 people have been displaced since the fighting broke out in Juba on Sunday.

South Sudan Liberation Army (SPLA) spokesperson Col. Philip Aguer told

the press yesterday that the nation’s security agencies were still gathering information about the incident, as renegade-General Gatdet ceased

communication with the headquarters after breaking rank. He however noted that the military is currently deliberating on the situation and is

expected to put a plan into motion shortly. In a statement released earlier

today, UNMISS confirmed that “security conditions the Jonglei State

capital Bor have deteriorated significantly during the course of the

day.”The statement also reveals that “The violence triggered an exodus of civilians out of Bor, and thousands have sought shelter at the Mission’s

compound on the southeastern outskirts of the city.” Several state

officials, including acting Jonglei state governor Jon Kong Nyon, are reported to be among those hiding in the UNMISS compound, where a

number of tents have since been erected.

Tribal dimension to conflict: When fighting broke out in South Sudan’s capital Juba on Monday, officials revealed it had been a clash between

soldiers loyal to former Vice President Reik Machar, and those loyal to President Salva Kiir. However, there are numerous reports that the recent

conflict is tinged by ethnic rivalry between the Dinka ethnic group, from which President Kiir hails, and the Nuer ethnic group, from which former

Vice President Reik Machar hails. Despite attempts by some South

Sudanese officials to de-link the ties between Sunday’s clash and the nation’s historical ethnic rivalry, the connections are likely to have firmly

been established with grave consequences for the ongoing conflict. There are reports that General Peter Getdat defected because he adjudged the

clashes in Juba to be armed conflict between the Dinka and Nuer ethnic groups. According to some pundits, it is likely that in the aftermath of the

foiled takeover attempt on the army barracks in Juba on Sunday, Nuer soldier may have been treated with suspicion—especially in light of the

fact that the alleged coup d’etat was pinned on the former vice president, who is a Nuer. South Sudan is home to numerous ethnic groups who

formed into a fragile alliance to fight for their rights against the Sudanese government. Following the referendum to break away from Sudan in

2011, ethnic clashes have increased with thousands dead and many more displaced. Numerous continental and international agencies have called on

the government of South Sudan to do more to prevent this un-wanton

tribal conflicts, which is reported to be usually inspired by struggles for access to limited natural resources, such as grazing land.

Searching for peace: Despite reports of ex-officials being hunted,

President Kiir on Wednesday said “We are open for dialogue with anyone who is willing.” The President’s remarks, made to reporters in Juba

yesterday, came shortly after reports that Rebecca Garang and Pagan Amun, former SPLM secretary general, had been arrested. While many

commentators have highlighted this contradiction, many others have noted that President Kiir’s gesture may point to a way out of this impasse.

According to reports, in a recent interview with Sudan Tribune, South

Sudan’s former Vice President Reik Machar revealed that “There was no coup. What took place in Juba was a misunderstanding between

presidential guards within their division. It was not a coup attempt. I have no connection with or knowledge of any coup attempt. Meanwhile, several

governments and international organizations have called on the South Sudanese government to restore peace and order to the nation. Ban Ki

Moon, the UN Secretary General, revealed that he had been in contact

with President Salva Kiir of South Sudan on Wednesday and reportedly

urged “him to do everything possible he can to end the violence and to ensure respect for human rights and the rule of law. The United States

Ambassador to South Sudan is also reported to have been in contact with

President Kiir on Wednesday over the current crisis. The US has since ordered all her citizens in Juba to vacate over fears of escalating violence.

Meanwhile, there are reports that airports in Juba and Bor have been indefinitely shut owing to the outbreak of violence.

December 20, 2013: SOUTH SUDAN: Former Vice President Riek Machar

escapes capture’

ION No 1370: Former VP Riek Machar managed to escape from the

republican guards on 15 December who had come to arrest him as well as the main leaders of the opposition to President Salva Kiir.

December 20, 2013: SOUTH SUDAN Juba A Voice of America(VOA)

journalist from South Sudan managed to record an interview with the widow of John Garangat the beginning of the week while she was under

house arrest in Juba.

December 20, 2013: SOUTH SUDAN – President Salva Kiir plays the

sorcerer’s apprentice’

ION No 1370: The recent confrontations in Juba have been presented as an attempted coup by former Vice President Riek Machar (Nuer). In fact,

they look more like an internal strike by President Salva Kiir Myardit to eliminate his rivals and opponents in the ruling SPLM - a dangerous

manœuvre that could easily degenerate into inter-ethnic clashes.

December 21, 2013: Is South Sudan Sliding into a Civil War?'

EAN: South Sudan’s army said it had lost control of the flash-point town of

Bor on Wednesday, its first acknowledged reversal in three days of clashes between rival groups of soldiers that have triggered warnings of a slide

into civil war fueled by ethnic division.

President Salva Kiir earlier said he was ready for dialogue with his ex-vice

president Riek Machar – the man he accuses of starting the fighting, which diplomats say has killed up to 500 people, and plotting a coup.

But Machar has denied involvement in the attempted plot to topple the

regime. At least 10 ex-government officials have been arrested in

connection with the foiled plot, and several, including the ex-vice-president is still on the run (although he is believed to still be in the

county).

The United Nations say tensions are still spreading across South Sudan’s remote states as the violence, which first erupted in the capital Juba late

on Sunday, moved north to Bor, the site of an ethnic massacre in 1991.

Witnesses and officials said fighting had broken out in two barracks in Bor

between troops loyal to Kiir, from South Sudan’s Dinka ethnic group, and troops loyal to Machar led by defected-General Peter Gatdet, both from

the Nuer ethnic group.

“We (are) not in control of Bor town,” South Sudan’s army spokesman

Philip Aguer told Reuters, without going into further details.

“The two main ethnic groups, the Dinka and the Nuer, could go into a full-fledged civil war in the country,” Gerard Araud, France’s ambassador to

the United Nations and current president of the Security Council, told the

BBC. He however called for dialogue.

Those sentiments were echoed by U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon who said the violence could spread across the young nation.

South Sudan, which declared independence from Sudan in 2011, remains

one of Africa’s least developed countries despite its coveted oil reserves,

which supply almost all its government revenues and hard currency. Fighting has so far appeared to stay away from the oil fields.

A broader conflict could threaten aid and be exploited by neighboring

Sudan, which has had persistent rows with Juba over their undefined borders, oil and security. That would further hurt efforts to build a

functioning state in the south.

Riek Machar denies coup: Machar, in an interview with the online Sudan

Tribune, denied having any role in the fighting and said he was not behind any coup attempt. He accused Kiir of using clashes that erupted between

members of the presidential guard to punish political rivals.

Machar said he was still in South Sudan, but did not give details of his location.

The fighting has revived memories of the factionalism in the 1990s within the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) – the group that fought

Sudan’s army in the north for two decades.

Machar led a splinter faction and south-south clashes erupted. Nuer soldiers loyal to Machar massacred hundreds of Dinka in Bor in 1991.

The president sacked Machar in July and political tensions have been simmering since.

However Kiir told a news conference on Wednesday that he was ready for

talks.

“He was asked whether he would accept any dialogue, and he said he is

ready for dialogue,” presidential spokesman Ateny Wek Ateny told Reuters by telephone. He however revealed that Kiir said there were no

discussions going on at the moment.

A group of East African foreign ministers will travel to South Sudan on

Thursday to seek an end to the fighting. This is the first foreign mission to enter the country since the eruption of the conflict.

Attack on civilians: Juba was quiet after sporadic overnight gunfire. But U.N. officials also reported fighting in Torit, to the east.

Also in Akobo, about 32 civilians seeking refuge in a UN compound, along

with over 40 UN staff are reported to have come under siege by Nuer soldiers. At least 4 people, including 3 UN staff are reported to have been

killed before communication was lost with the base in eastern Jonglei.

Helicopters are reported to have been sent to evacuate UN staff in Jonglei

on Friday. Several UN officials have meanwhile called on all the parties involved in the conflict to exercise restraint.

The United Nations says the clashes have driven 20,000 people to its

camps for refuge, and that “tensions seem to be on the rise in the other

States, such as Unity and Upper Nile”.

France’s Araud said there were 7,000-8,000 U.N. peacekeepers in South Sudan, but added: “It is clear our soldiers will not intervene in the

conflict.”

A Western diplomat said the expanded fighting was tipping the nation into

an ethnic conflict that was “difficult to roll back”, adding Kiir had raised the stakes by calling it a coup.

“It will impact a lot of countries, and they are not beacons of stability,” he

said of the region around South Sudan.

Uganda temporarily shut its border. But Kenya said its border was open,

and aid agencies say a refugee camp nearby are braced for new arrivals. Kenya, like other neighbors, hosted Sudanese refugees during former

Sudan’s long north-south war.

Juba quiet: In Juba, traffic returned to the streets and the airport reopened, amid a tense calm in the capital of a nation the size of France,

with 11 million people but barely any tarmac roads.

Britain said it was flying out some embassy staff and gathering names of

other Britons who wanted to leave. Many aid workers live and work in Juba.

The U.S. State Department said it had evacuated three groups of its

citizens on Wednesday, flying them out in two U.S. military C-130 aircraft and one private charter flight.

The Pentagon said it had also bolstered physical security at American diplomatic facilities in Juba.

The U.S. envoy to South Sudan, Susan Page, met Kiir on Wednesday and

expressed U.S. concern over the violence and the arrests of opposition politicians.

“We call on the country’s political leaders to refrain from any action that could escalate an already tense situation or fuel the violence,” State

Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said in a statement. “It is absolutely critical that political differences be resolved by peaceful and democratic

means.”

Diplomats said the United Nations had reports of between 400 and 500

people killed and up to 800 wounded.

“Most people are scared they might be confronted with a mob or see dead bodies,” said one aid worker in Juba, after residents awoke to heavy

gunfire and artillery blasts on Monday and Tuesday.

December 23, 2013: SOUTH SUDAN: Rebel leader spoke to Susan Rice

and Ethiopian FM - Proposes talks with president in Addis Ababa’ (Reuters) - The leader of a rebellion against South Sudan's government told Reuters

on Monday he was ready for dialogue to end the conflict but said President Salva Kiir must first release his detained political allies. Former Vice

President Riek Machar said he had spoken on Monday to Ethiopia's foreign minister, leader of a team of African mediators trying to end more than a

week of fighting that has killed hundreds of people and driven thousands from their homes. "My message was let Salva Kiir release my comrades

who are under detention and let them be evacuated to Addis Ababa and we can start dialogue straight away, because these are the people who

would (handle) dialogue," he said by telephone. Riek Machar, who was sacked from his post of vice president in July, also said he had spoken to

U.S. National Security Adviser Susan Rice on Saturday and U.N. envoy Hilde Johnson before that. "A ceasefire is always part of the negotiation, it

cannot be done through telephone, nor can it be done through shuttle

diplomacy," he said, adding that Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa was his proposed site for talks.

Machar also said he controlled oil fields in Unity and Upper Nile States but

did not want to halt production, saying revenue from the fields should be deposited in an escrow account so South Sudan did not lose the funds due

to fighting. Clashes have erupted in oil production areas, with conflicting reports of which side is in control. "We will protect the oil companies, we

will protect the workforce in the oil fields, we will protect the facilities," he said. "All we need is that there will be an international body that will

market and sell the oil of south Sudan." Among those Machar listed should

be released were Pagan Amum - chief negotiator during the recent oil shutdown with Sudan, which hosts the sole oil export pipeline; and

Rebecca de Mabior, the widow of former South Sudanese leader John Garang. Machar has said he aspires to be president. When asked if he

would demand that post in any talks, he said: "Well, that needs to be agreed. The dialogue is not a dialogue of the deaf for one party, it is the

dialogue of two parties in conflict." Asked where he was based, he said: "I

am in the bush, and I am trying my best to have a better negotiating position."

December 24, 2013: South Sudan’s Machar to Keep Oil Flowing After Fields Captured’

By Paul Richardson and Mading Ngor

EAN: Deposed South Sudanese Vice PresidentRiek Machar said his forces control all of the country’s oilfields and plan to allow crude production to

continue amid a conflict with government forces. Forces opposed to President Salva Kiir’s rule seized the town of Malakal in Upper Nile State

this morning and have captured areas in South Sudan’s states of Central and Eastern Equatoria in the south, Machar said in an interview today.

Fighters loyal to Machar say they control Jonglei and oil-producing Unity state in the north. The government has denied the rebels control all of the

country’s oil output, which generates 95 percent of government revenue. “We’ll protect the oil workers, the oil companies, the oil installations and

the oil can be transported and sold,” Machar said by phone from an undisclosed location. Revenue from crude sales will be placed in an escrow

account “until the conflict is over,” he said. Fighting erupted in South

Sudan on Dec. 15, when gunmen attacked the presidential palace in the capital, Juba. The violence disrupted oil production in the country, which

has sub-Saharan Africa’s biggest oil reserves after Nigeria and Angola, according to BP Plc data. At least 500 people have been killed in the

ensuing violence that has heightened ethnic tensions, with Machar’s Nuer group pitted against the Dinka people of Kiir. Petroleum Minister Stephen

Dhieu Dau said today the government has control of about 25,000 barrels a day of oil production in Unity state, which he said produces 45,000

barrels daily. Rebels have taken over “parts of Unity oilfields” as well as Tharjath, which accounts for about 5,000 barrels per day of output, he

said in a phone interview.

Continuing Production: “We will be producing partly until the government

recaptures Unity,” Dau said. South Sudan army spokesman Philip Aguer said clashes are currently taking place in the oil-producing Upper Nile

state, “but we don’t have the details about who is controlling it.” South Sudan’s low-sulfur crude is prized by Japanese buyers as a cleaner-

burning fuel for power generation. The oil is pumped mainly by China National Petroleum Corp., Malaysia’s Petroliam Nasional Bhd. and

India’s Oil & Natural Gas Corp. (ONGC). ONGC repatriated its 11 employees and the company’s joint venture has shut down oilfields in

South Sudan that were producing about 40,000 barrels per day, Finance Director S.P. Garg said yesterday. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon

asked the Security Council for 5,500 soldiers to add to the peacekeeping mission of 7,000 already there. The U.S. is positioning troops in the Horn

of Africa region to assist in any additional evacuations in South Sudan,

Pentagon spokesman Colonel Steve Warren said.

Emergency Meeting: At an emergency meeting yesterday in New York, all

15 members of the UN Security Council showed a “positive reaction” to Ban’s request for the troops, plus 423 police personnel, saidGerard Araud,

French Ambassador to the UN and president of the council this month. The

council may authorize the boost today, he said. About 100,000 people have been internally displaced and about 45,000 are seeking protection in

and around UN camps in the country, Araud said. U.S. special envoy Donald Booth, who met yesterday with Kiir in the capital, Juba, said the

president expressed a willingness to begin talks with Machar “without preconditions, as soon as his counterpart was willing.”

Conditional Talks: Machar said he’ll agree to talks when the government

releases political detainees arrested in the aftermath of the Dec. 15 attack. The government said last week it arrested 10 people, mainly

senior politicians and cabinet ministers in connection with plans to stage a

coup. “I have been contacted by the foreign minister of Ethiopia who led a mediation delegation to Juba,” he said. “I told him that I am ready for

talks as long as my comrades who are under detention are released and are taken either to Addis Ababa, Nairobi or neutral ground.” Kenyan

Foreign Ministry Principal Secretary Karanja Kibicho said yesterday the two sides in the conflict agreed to an offer by Kenya to host peace talks.

South Sudan seceded from neighboring Sudan in July 2011 and took three-quarters of the formerly united country’s oil output. The landlocked

nation exports all its crude, about 220,000 barrels a day, through pipelines across Sudan.

December 25, 2013: South Sudan: Envoys to Travel to South Sudan for Negotiations'

DW, AP, AFP, Reuters, dpa: Both the European Union and East African

nations have said they plan to hold negotiations in South Sudan soon. International leaders worry that the continued clashes will plunge the

young country into civil war. The European Union and East African nations indicated late on Wednesday intentions of sending envoys to South Sudan

as soon as possible. Special EU envoy Alexander Rondos would arrive in South Sudan on Thursday, according to the European Commission. A

South Sudan government official also said that Ethiopian Prime Minister

Hailemariam Desalegn and Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta would arrive in the capital city Juba on the same day, according to Reuters news

agency. It was not immediately clear whether the country's president, Salva Kiir, or his rival, former Vice President Riek Machar, intended to

participate in negotiations. Both had signalled this week their willingness to bring the two-week conflict to an end. However, Machar has demanded

Kiir resign as a precondition to negotiations. The United Nations said on Wednesday it believed "thousands" have died in the fighting, which began

two weeks ago. Tensions escalated in South Sudan on December 15 when Machar allegedly attempted to stage a coup. The former vice president

has denied responsibility. The duo are long-time rivals, with Kiir having

ousted Machar from his post in July. The two are also split along ethnic

lines. Kiir belongs to the Dinka group, while Machar is Nuer.

Calls for peace: While fighting raged on in Malakal - one of the county's

top oil-producing cities - on Wednesday, United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon issued a radio and television Christmas address to the South

Sudanese people caught in the clashes. "South Sudan is under threat - but South Sudan is not alone," Ban said. "We are strengthening the United

Nations presence and will do our best to stop the violence and help you build a better future for all," Ban said, adding that the UN would hold all

culprits accountable for the "grave violation of human rights" currently wracking the country. Meanwhile, President Kiir denounced the ethnically-

motivated killings. Innocent people have been wantonly killed. There are now people who are targeting others because of their tribal affiliation," Kiir

said on Wednesday. He called on citizens to "cease immediately," adding

that further violence would plunge the young nation into chaos. The UN Security Council voted to temporarily raise the number of peacekeepers

deployed to South Sudan from the current 7,000 to 12,500. The resolution, which was adopted unanimously at a meeting at UN

headquarters in New York on Tuesday, will also increase the number of international police officers in the country to just over 1,300 from the

current 900. The additional troops and police officers are to be drawn at least in part from UN missions in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ivory

Coast, Abyei and Liberia.

December 28, 2013: South Sudan: 'White Army' militia marches to fight’

By JASON STRAZIUSO JUBA, South Sudan (AP) — Twenty-five thousand

young men who make up a tribal militia known as the "White Army" are marching toward a contested state capital in South Sudan, an official said

Saturday, dimming hopes for a cease-fire. Seeking an end to the nearly two-week crisis in which an estimated 1,000 people have been killed,

leaders from across East Africa announced on Friday that South Sudan had agreed to a "cessation of hostilities" against forces loyal to former

Vice President Riek Machar, whom the government accuses of leading a coup attempt Dec. 15 that erupted into spiraling violence.

But Machar rejected that, saying in an interview with the BBC that any cease-fire had to be negotiated by delegations from both sides. The

government in the capital, Juba, seized on that statement to further condemn Machar. "Dr. Riek Machar has put obstacles to this genuine call

by issuing pre-conditions that a cease-fire cannot be reached unless a negotiation is conducted," said Vice President James Wani Igga. "This is

complete intransigence and obstinacy because the main issue now is to stop violence." In addition to those killed, tens of thousands are seeking

shelters at United Nations camps. More fighting is expected.

There is a looming battle for Bor, the provincial capital of Jonglei state

that briefly fell to rebels before government forces took it back this week, said military spokesman Col. Philip Aguer. Pro-Machar forces are believed

to be preparing a fresh offensive to retake Bor, he said. Bor is the town

where three United States military aircraft were hit by gunfire while trying to evacuate American citizens on Dec. 21, wounding four U.S. service

members. An estimated 25,000 youths from the Lou Nuer sub-clan — the

same tribe Machar is from — are marching on Bor, said Information Minister Michael Makuei Lueth. The "White Army" gets its name in part

from the white ash fighters put on their skin as a form of protection from insects. "He has decided to mobilize the youth in the name of his tribe,"

Lueth said.

The White Army has threatened the central government in recent past. In 2011 the army said that the Nuer youths would fight until all the Murle —

another tribe — had been killed. The statement warned the national military to stay out of the way. Another statement warned that the White

Army would "wipe out" the army, according to the Enough Project, a U.S.-

based advocacy group that works on issues in central Africa. Elsewhere, in oil-rich Unity state government troops were being forced to repel attacks

by forces loyal to Machar, said Aguer. The military "is fighting back, but it is the other side that is attacking us," he said. IGAD, the regional bloc of

East African nations, demanded on Friday that negotiations begin before the end of the year between South Sudan's government and Machar, but

there was no sign on Saturday that is likely.

"We are ready to meet even before that. It is now up to Machar to accept the ceasefire," said Vice President Igga. The government blames Machar

for plotting a coup attempt on Dec. 15. Machar denies that charge and his

backers insist violence began when presidential guards from President Salva Kiir's majority Dinka tribe tried to disarm guards from Machar's

Nuer ethnic group. From Juba the military clashes then spiraled across the country. The United Nations, South Sudan's government and other

analysts say the dispute is political at its heart, but has since taken on ethnic overtones. The fighting has displaced more than 120,000 people.

December 28, 2013: South Sudan: Riek Machar's End-Game - What Is It?

ST: Analysis By Eric Reeves - Riek Machar, former Vice-President of South Sudan and current leader of rebel forces in the country, knows as well as

anyone that every day that passes without a halt to the fighting--every hour--makes more likely the explosive spread of violence that has already

taken on a clear ethnic character. Riek knows as well that as long as this violence continues it will be impossible for most humanitarian

organizations to operate outside Juba, putting many hundreds of thousands of civilians at risk--most without any political identity, but

inevitably an ethnic identity. The number of those displaced was put at 121, 000 several days ago by the UN, but it was only a mechanical

estimate. Toby Lanzer, head of humanitarian operations in South Sudan, declared on December 22 that, "'As we go to bed tonight, there are

hundreds of thousands of South Sudanese who've fled into the bush or

back to their villages to get out of harm's way'" (BBC, December 22,

2013). There is dismayingly little reporting presence in most of South

Sudan, especially in Jonglei, Unity State, and Upper Nile--those areas that have seen the most fighting and in which the forces of Riek Machar are

strongest.

Bor (Jonglei) and Malakal (Upper Nile) have been recaptured by the Sudan

People's Liberation Army (SPLA, the army of South Sudan); however, these major towns may yet be the sites of more fighting. Indeed,

Associated Press reports today (Nairobi, December 28, 2013) that 25,000 (Lou) Nuer youth are within 30 miles of Bor and that fighting could

resume at any time (this figure is likely an overstatement, but perhaps not by much). This would put a tremendous number of civilians at acute

risk. Of this Lou Nuer "White Army" Associated Press also reports: The White Army has threatened the central government in recent past. In

2011 the army said that the Nuer youths would fight until all the Murle--

another tribe [in Jonglei]--had been killed. An unconfirmed report from the ground has the forces of Peter Gadet, who defected to Riek, even

closer--at only a few kilometers north of Bor, possibly awaiting the arrival of the "White Army." Gadet has a well-deserved reputation as a fearsome

and brutal warrior.

Two of the states involved in recent fighting--Unity and Upper Nile--are the primary oil producing regions of South Sudan. Machar's allies control

Bentiu, capital of Unity State, and defecting SPLA division commander General James Koang Chuol has declared that the oil fields of Unity have

been completely shut down. It is quite unclear whether the shutdown

occurred with anything approaching the necessary technical care for such an operation; and given the wholesale exodus of Chinese, Malaysian, and

Indian oil workers--including those with technical expertise--it is certain that in the relatively near term, in the absence of maintenance, major

damage will be done to the oil infrastructure; moreover, re-starting the flow of oil may be an extended operation. This denies revenues to both

Khartoum as well as Juba, given the transit fee arrangements and the significant amount of oil that lies in reserves north of the current

North/South border. Oil from the reserves of both South Sudan and Sudan in the Unity/South Kordofan areas use the same pipeline and

infrastructure, and are equally affected by any threat to professional maintenance of this system. Riek is also well aware of this.

So why has Riek refused to respond to offers from the Government of South Sudan (GOSS)? These include talks "without preconditions"

(December 19), the announced release of most of the detainees Riek has demanded be freed (December 27), and the offer of an "immediate

ceasefire" (in a Twitter feed of December 27, the GOSS declared: "We have agreed in principle to a ceasefire to begin immediately, but our

forces are prepared to defend themselves if attacked." Riek's response? In an interview on December 27, speaking to the BBC by satellite phone, he

said "any cease-fire had to be negotiated by delegations from both sides and must be 'credible,' must 'include a way to monitor compliance,' and

'must have [established] mechanisms for monitoring.'" But all this will

take a good deal of time at a critical moment; and if these requirements are true for a full and final cease-fire agreement, it is not true for an

immediate military stand-down. The government in Juba has declared that

it will hold off on its offensive designed to re-take Bentiu: this halting, easily monitored, will provide a clear measure of whether the GOSS and

the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) are acting in good faith, provided that Riek responds in kind. Instead, there are reliable reports of

a resumed assault by Riek's forces on Bor, and my contact in Malakal indicates the SPLA there expects renewed attack.

We could have in effect something very much like the "Agreement on the

Cessation of Offensive Hostilities" declared by Khartoum and the SPLA in October 2002--the event that marked the rapid de-escalation of fighting in

the civil war, then in its twentieth year. To be sure, fighting continued (as

I witnessed myself in January 2003), but the de-escalation continued, leading to a more formalized cease-fire in February 2003. It was this that

enabled progress in negotiating the Comprehensive Peace Agreement. Troublingly, it must be said, comments by Juba's military spokesman,

Philip Aguer, are indicative of either a lack of communication or confusion on the part of Juba. Associated Press reports Aguer as saying that, "'We

have not seen any sign of a cease-fire. There is no cease-fire agreed by the two sides,' an indication the planned assault on Bentiu could still take

place" (Nairobi, December 27, 2013). This ambiguity or contradiction or lack of internal communication should be addressed immediately. ]

Machar also declared to the BBC on December 27 that conditions for a truce were not yet in place. But if not now, when? Fighting, violence, and

ethnic animosities increase every day, every hour: how can these facts, these "conditions," not dictate that whatever form of truce or cease-fire is

possible be declared now?

What is Riek's "end game"? How does he see an end to the human

destruction that threatens to become utterly catastrophic? How does he see his own future? Politically he has no apparent allies in the

international community, and it is clear from the language of the recent statement by IGAD (a consortium of East African nations, led in this case

by Kenya) that there is strong support for Juba: Addressing a special summit of the Inter Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD), an

east African regional body, Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta urged Kiir and Machar to seize "the small window of opportunity" and start peace

talks. "Let it be known that we in IGAD will not accept the unconstitutional

overthrow of a duly and democratically elected government in South Sudan. Kenyatta continued: "The present crisis, if not contained, will

produce millions of internally displaced persons and refugees and set back this region immeasurably," Kenyatta told the regional leaders. (Reuters

[Juba/Nairobi], December 27, 2013)

The scenario outlined by Kenyatta is terrifyingly plausible. For its part, the African Union is taking its cues from IGAD and the UN has likely done all it

can or will do by sending a very substantial new contingent of

peacekeeping forces to South Sudan. But even after secession, South Sudan remained one of Africa's largest countries--the size of France. It

will be extremely difficult to control even present violence; to respond to

the needs of displaced persons and to provide security for the humanitarian organizations that are desperate to get back into the South

is beyond daunting. Mistrust of Riek by a great many Southerners has always been high, and not only because of his role in the slaughter of

Dinka in his 1991 rampage toward Bor, where thousands of civilians were killed. His signing of a wholly unworkable, expedient, and personally

enriching peace agreement with the Khartoum regime in 1997 has not been forgotten, and for many that agreement defines him still as a

politician. They regard the "Khartoum Peace Agreement" of 1997 (also signed by Lam Akol) as a touchstone event, especially in light of the

ensuing massive assault on civilians in the oil regions of what was then Western Upper Nile (which included what is today Unity State). Many

more, having had personal contact with Riek, have expressed a distinct uneasiness, a lack of confidence in the man's trustworthiness. And yet in

an interview with Al Jazeera (December 24) Riek repeatedly declared that

he was speaking "for the people of South Sudan," that he wished for a "palace revolution" that would depose President Salva Kiir, and that his

efforts were the start of a "second liberation" of South Sudan. But what form will this "second liberation" take? Riek denied in the interview that he

was complicit in any of the terrible atrocities that have been committed, but so long as he refuses to accept an immediate cease-fire, this claim will

be impossible to credit.

A Role for Khartoum? Again, the inevitable question is whether Riek has an "end game" amidst the present violence--or is he simply improvising,

counting on a military stand-off that will compel the international

community to accord him the place he wants at the negotiating table, and with such military and diplomatic equities as will enable him to strike a

deal he finds acceptable? Unfortunately, the arrangement(s) most recently suggested by Riek (see below) necessarily require Khartoum's assistance;

and in rendering such help, by declaring--with Riek--that the Government of South Sudan is illegitimate, Khartoum would make even wider war all

too distinct a possibility. Khartoum's assisting Riek would be a disaster; nothing could be more destructive of the chances for negotiating the

critical outstanding issues between Juba and Khartoum, most notably Abyei, which lies adjacent to Unity State (as well as Warrap and Northern

Bahr el-Ghazal). Boundary issues elsewhere would also be impossible to resolve unless Khartoum accepts the GOSS as its sole negotiating partner.

The North/South peace would be in extreme danger if any version of such collusion were to become evident. There are as yet no clear answers or

telling insights here about Riek's intentions; but the march of many

thousands of Nuer youth on Bor, in the form of the infamous "White Army," suggests that Riek is willing to let his forces continue to extend the

fighting. Having "let slip the dogs of war," he has no evident intent to

leash them--and "havoc" there will be. Malakal, although retaken by the

SPLA, may also be the site of a counter-attack by Riek's forces, many of them former regular members of the SPLA and a formidable military force.

What is most concerning is Riek's extraordinary statement about his sequestering of oil revenues (see below). For this raises a deeply troubling

possibility: that Riek been in serious communication, even negotiations with the regime in Khartoum, which looks with horror at the shutdown of

the Unity State oil fields, with critical infrastructure left unattended by professionals in oil extraction and pumping. The defecting commander of

the SPLA 4th Division in Bentiu, General James Koang Chuol, declared on December 26 that "oil production from fields in his [Unity] state had to be

halted due to lack of staff remaining at the oil field" (Sudan Tribune). Several days earlier Malaysian oil workers reported that three well sites

had already been closed, even before evacuation of all Chinese, Indian, as

well as Malaysian workers. The prolonged shutdown of Unity State oil production would be yet another severe revenue shock to an economy in

the north that is already rapidly imploding. Last week there were long lines for gasoline in Khartoum, in fear of the oil shutdown. Two weeks

before that there were long lines for bread because of an acute shortage, brought on by the inability of the Khartoum regime to purchase wheat

from abroad--this for lack of foreign exchange currency (Forex); indeed, according to IMF predictions of last fall, all Khartoum's Forex reserves will

be exhausted by the end of this year. To the extent that oil and transit fees for oil from the South helped to cushion Khartoum from the full

effects of its gross mismanagement of the northern economy, their precipitous loss of such revenues may simply be too much to sustain.

Understanding this point full well, Riek and his lieutenants have floated the idea of sequestering oil revenues so that they do not reach Juba; in

turn, Khartoum would presumably enjoy the same revenues as before under such an arrangement, and would thus make the regime an ally of

Riek and his forces, either de facto or by formal agreement. As Riek himself declared in an interview with Sudan Tribune (London, December

23, 2013): South Sudan's former vice-president, Riek Machar, says forces under his command will divert oil revenues accrued from the country's oil

wells, days after his troops seized control of much of the new nation's oilfields. In an exclusive interview with Sudan Tribune on Monday, Machar

revealed a plan to halt oil revenue remittances to Juba. He said no money would go to the government in Juba, explaining that his group plans to

divert oil revenues and deal directly with Sudan in implementing the

September 2012 cooperation agreements, as they are in control of the concerned states. In understanding why Khartoum might agree to such a

dangerous arrangement we must remember just how desperate the economic situation is in (northern) Sudan, which now rightly fears for its

very survival. With inflation poised to skyrocket even further (the real, as opposed to "official," rate is already well above 50 percent), high

unemployment and under-employment, a national currency in free-fall,

conspicuous and widespread corruption, and too many sons coming back

in body bags, the angry demonstrations of September and October could reappear at any time, as economic hardships only grow. A "solution"--one

that might well appeal to those elements in the regime that continue to

think the CPA gave away too much to the South--would be a military intervention on Riek's behalf in Unity State. The point would be to seize

the most productive oil regions in northern Unity, in a military alliance with Riek's forces, and subsequently make a deal on governance and

revenue-sharing.

Riek will certainly feel free to make a better offer than Khartoum now receives from Juba. His forces are probably strongest in Unity, where his

own Nuer people are the largest ethnic group. But Machar clearly includes Upper Nile (as well as Jonglei) in his plans. And what are the assurances

that this revenue will not simply be appropriated by Riek in his return to

the existence of a pampered, excessively remunerated warlord? "'We will establish an extra account to which the oil revenues will be remitted for

the economic interest of the people of South Sudan'" (Sudan Tribune, December 23). This is simply preposterous. In assessing what Khartoum

makes of this overture--and it may be this deliberation that prevents Riek from committing to a ceasefire--it is important to realize that the most

militaristic and "anti-South" elements predominate in the regime, especially on decisions about war and peace (it was this security cabal

that demanded President Omar al-Bashir renege on the agreement of June 2011 to negotiate a peace in South Kordofan, an agreement signed by

senior regime official Nafie Ali Nafie). Regard for international opinion among these brutal men is minimal.

So even as we may be sure that the international community will vehemently condemn the regime if it should make an arrangement with

Riek in order to secure continued oil revenues (under cover of providing "regional protection"), this is not likely to make much difference. The

regime has endured decades of opprobrium without appropriate consequences for its war-making and massive atrocity crimes. These

génocidaires believe there is nothing to worry about so long as they retain a monopoly on national wealth and power, both of which are threatened

by an economic collapse whose scale they seem not fully to comprehend. Perhaps Riek's confidence that an agreement with Khartoum could

somehow be fashioned is wholly factitious. But such a scheme does represent a way that Riek might survive long enough to watch as fighting

continues in South Sudan, weakening the country sufficiently that his

political and military equities become adequate to make him a "peace broker," thereby ensuring himself a central role in any new government

replacing that of Salva Kiir.

This is all hypothetical at the moment. What is not hypothetical is that there is no clear reason for Riek's failure to respond to Salva's offer of

"unconditional talks" (Riek simply proceeded to declare his own "condition," the release of all political detainees arrested in the wake of

events of December 15). What is not hypothetical is that Riek's

explanation of why he won't commit to a truce is expedient, and deliberately ignores the ways in which the first steps towards a cease-fire

might be taken immediately. The consequence of this failure to commit

except in the vaguest terms to a cease-fire makes it likely that the SPLA offensive against Bentiu may soon resume--and it will be a terribly bloody

confrontation, for both soldiers and civilians (see IRIN assessment of humanitarian prospects for South Sudan, December 27). Judging by what

we have seen of the aftermath of the first round of fighting in Bor, fighting in Bentiu will be even more terribly destructive, and many tens of

thousands will be killed or displaced (Agence France-Presse [Juba/Bor], December 25, 2013) (Reuters [Juba], December 28). Toby Lanzer, the

senior UN humanitarian coordinator for South, declared on December 24 that:

"I think it's undeniable at this stage that there must have been thousands of people who have lost their lives. When I've looked at the hospitals in

key towns and I've looked at the hospitals in the capital itself, the range of injuries, this is no longer a situation where we can merely say it's

hundreds of people who've lost their lives." Mr Lanzer also said that the number of people seeking shelter from the fighting was "tens of thousands

if not hundreds of thousands." (BBC, December 24, 2013) (all emphases in quotations have been added). The official UN count of displaced

persons--"more than 120,000"--almost certainly understates, quite significantly, the number of people who have been forced from their

homes by violence. Again, on December 22 the UN's Lanzer declared that, "'As we go to bed tonight, there are hundreds of thousands of South

Sudanese who've fled into the bush or back to their villages to get out of harm's way'" (BBC, December 22, 2013). Daniel Howden, writing in The

Guardian (December 23, 2013) reports:

A veteran aid worker, who has been assessing the scale and nature of the

killings from sources nationwide, said the real figure was "in the tens of thousands." On Monday, Machar claimed his forces had gained control of

all the major oil fields in Unity and Upper Nile states.What is all too real is Riek's declaration that he "represents the people of South Sudan," and

that they would be best served by a "palace revolution" that removes Salva Kiir. But there is no military solution to the rapidly growing human

catastrophe in South Sudan; only a military stand-down will create the possibility of halting the spread of ethnic violence, and it may already be

too late. The longer the fighting continues, the more difficult peace

becomes and the more catastrophic the consequences for civilians of all ethnicities. To be sure, we simply don't know enough about conditions in

too many locations, especially in Jonglei, Upper Nile, and Unity--the three states in which Riek's forces are strongest. But surmising from what has

already occurred at Bor, Akobo, and Malakal, we should assume the worst.

What is your "end game," Riek Machar? How do you plan to stop the military violence? Why won't you commit to a cessation of offensive

hostilities agreement? Why are you speaking of the sequestering of oil

revenues? And instead of putting a condition on negotiations, with perhaps other to follow, why won't you accept Salva Kiir's offer of

immediate and "unconditional" negotiations? Why won't you acknowledge

the significance of the GOSS announcement that it is releasing eight of the eleven detainees? Why won't you work urgently to halt the advance of the

"White Army" on Bor, an advance that promises to issue in extremely bloody fighting and guarantees subsequent fighting in Bentiu? If there are

no answers soon, South Sudan may well disintegrate, humanitarians will be unable to assist civilians in need, and ongoing ethnic violence may

define whole regions of what is now South Sudan.

NB: This analysis does not presume to assess the performance of Salva Kiir as president of the GOSS or the nature of political dissatisfaction

within the Sudan People's Liberation Movement. The focus here is squarely

on the very recent actions and statements of Riek Machar and their likely consequences for South Sudan. A subsequent analysis will attempt to

move back in time in an attempt to survey political discontent in this very new country. Eric Reeves' new book-length study of greater Sudan

(Compromising With Evil: An archival history of greater Sudan, 2007 - 2012; www.CompromisingWithEvil.org) The views expressed in the

'Comment and Analysis' section are solely the opinions of the writers. The veracity of any claims made are the responsibility of the author not Sudan

Tribune.

December 30, 2013: 25,000 Rebels March on Capital as Violence in South

Sudan Escalates'

EAN The two-week old violence in South Sudan has escalated over the past few hours as reports emerge that about 25,000 rebels are marching

to the capital, Juba. The 25,000 young men are from a tribal group called the “White Army.” The army is reportedly marching in support of Riek

Machar, who has been identified as the aggrieved second party in this raging dispute. According to the Guardian Express, the rebel army is made

up of men from the Nuer ethnic group, who in the past have threatened to exterminate another ethnic group in South Sudan.The announcement of

the impending siege has undoubtedly revoked the cease-fire announced

by officials. The leader of the rebels, ousted Vice President Machar, has stated that there will be no ceasefire until all parties are represented in

negotiations and that preconditions had been met.

One such precondition is the release of Machar’s political supporters who have been jailed. Information Minister Michael Makuei Lueth reported that

forces are positioned outside the capital of South Sudan, and are awaiting the “White Army” to arrive. The army is last reported to have been sighted

about 30 miles from Bor. The capital of Jonglei, which fell into the hands of the rebel early in the conflict but was re-taken by government forces

within a few days. South Sudan is now bracing for some of the worst

fighting yet. There are concerns that the admittedly stretched UN

peacekeepers may not be able to properly protect civilians in dangerous

areas. There is great concern for collateral damage in this conflict. The rebel group have already shown signs of fighting along ethnic lines. Earlier

in the conflict about 2,000 tribal Nuer attacked the U.N. base in Akobo,

killing three U.N. troops and dozens of ethnic Dinka.

The UN has reported that hundreds of civilians have been displaced or killed, while thousands have sought protection at secure UN compounds in

the war torn nation. Toby Lanzer, head of humanitarian operations in South Sudan, gives a conservative estimate of 120,000 displaced citizens.

Lanzer reported to the BBC that while touring the local hospitals he saw thousands of injured citizens. What began as struggle between two

political figures, Machar and Kiir, has now escalated into a violent conflict, threatening to destabilise the young nation. Meanwhile, Machar’s sight

seems to be firmly set on political power. The rebel army are reported to

have targeted the two states with the most valuable oil production–showing their intent of crippling the current regime. Machar’s General,

James Koang Chuo, has stated that his military forces have taken over and effectively shut down oil production in Unity state and other Upper

Nile states. However, the Sudan Tribune reports that the shutdown was the direct result of workers leaving the fields, as a result there were now

no persons with technical expertise to operate the machinery and production sites.

December 31, 2013: South Sudan rebel leader agrees to peace talks in

Ethiopia’

LA Times, By Erin Conway-Smith Joberg, South Africa

South Sudan’s rebel leader agreed to begin talks with the government

Tuesday, a tentative step toward peace though one hampered by continued fighting in the world’s newest country. The talks are due to take

place in Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital, and would be the first since

violence broke out two weeks ago in a dispute between South Sudanese President Salva Kiir and his former deputy, Riek Machar, who was fired

from his position in July. Machar said he would send a high-level delegation to Addis Ababa for negotiations, led by Rebecca Nyandeng, the

widow of former southern Sudanese rebel leader John Garang. But Machar also said he would not tell his troops to stop fighting.

On Tuesday he told reporters his forces had taken control of Bor, the

geographically strategic capital of Jonglei state, and would march on toward Juba, the country’s capital about 90 miles to the south. Other

reports suggested that the rebels had taken control of only part of Bor,

and that fighting was ongoing. This would be the third time Bor has changed hands in the last few weeks, having previously been captured by

the rebels and then retaken by government forces. Donald Booth, the U.S. special envoy to South Sudan, told the Associated Press that both sides

agreeing to talks was “a first but very important step to achieving a cessation of hostilities.”

Despite calls by East African leaders for talks to begin by Dec. 31, and

threats of military action against the rebels by Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, Machar’s forces carried through the attack on Bor. Some

observers believe Machar is seeking to strengthen his negotiating position.

A militia of thousands of young men loyal to Machar, known as the “White Army” for the light-colored ash worn on their skin, was involved in the

siege. Doctors Without Borders said about 70,000 civilians had sought refuge from the fighting in Bor by fleeing to the town of Awerial in

neighboring Lakes state. Most of them were said to be women and children. The aid group said that living conditions for these people were

“verging on the catastrophic,” with no clean water, food or shelter.

More than 121,600 people in South Sudan have fled their homes since violence erupted Dec. 15, and thousands are feared dead, according to

the United Nations, though the numbers are probably far higher. The U.N.

mission in South Sudan on Tuesday said it was “gravely concerned” by evidence of serious human rights violations since the conflict began. “I

condemn in the strongest possible terms the atrocities committed against innocent civilians of different communities by elements from both sides

during the crisis,” Hilde Johnson, the U.N.'s special envoy to South Sudan, said in a statement. “There is no excuse for these terrible acts of

violence.” The statement said that extrajudicial killings of civilians and captured soldiers have occurred around the country, “as evidenced by the

discovery of large numbers of bodies.” “Many of these violations appear to be ethnically targeted,” it said. “Most of the more brutal atrocities are

reported to have been carried out by people wearing uniform.”

December 31 2013: South Sudan, rebels due in Ethiopia for Peace Talkes'

AFP, ADDIS ABABA - South Sudan's president and rebel leader Riek

Machar are flying for face-to-face peace talks in Ethiopia, a foreign ministry spokesman said Tuesday, to try and end two weeks of fighting

feared to have left thousands dead. "Both President Salva Kiir and Dr Riek Machar are coming to Addis Ababa for talks, they are coming now and

should meet today," Ethiopian foreign ministry spokesman Dina Mufti told AFP. The world's youngest nation plunged into chaos on December 15

when Kiir accused his former deputy Machar of mounting a coup. Machar

in turn has accused the president of using a clash between army units as a pretext to carry out a violent purge. Regional leaders at the Inter-

Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD), an East African grouping, have demanded Machar agree to a ceasefire and hold face-to-

face talks with Kiir by Tuesday.

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has warned that Machar must comply with the ceasefire deal by Tuesday or face action by regional nations. He

said if Machar does not respond "we shall have to go for him," without clarifying if his threat involved military action. Thousands of people are

feared to have been killed in over two weeks of fighting, pitching army

units loyal to President Salva Kiir against a loose alliance of ethnic militia

forces and mutinous army commanders nominally headed by ex-vice

president Riek Machar. Ethiopia's announcement of peace talks between the rivals came as rebel spokesman Moses Ruai claimed to have

recaptured the key town of Bor after a pre-dawn assault on government

forces. "Bor is under our control... we are now in Bor town now," Ruai told AFP. However, army spokesman Philip Aguer said that fighting was still

ongoing, and rejected the claim. "There is still fighting in Bor, the fighting is not yet finalised," he said. There have also been grim reports of

massacres, rapes and killings, prompting the African Union to threaten "targeted sanctions" over the conflict.

South Sudan rebels on the run to seize key town of Bor – mayor’

JUBA – Updates: South Sudanese rebels loyal to former Vice President Riek Machar have seized control of Bor, the capital of restive Jonglei state,

the town's Mayor said. Nhial Majak Nhial told Reuters government troops loyal to President Salva Kiir had made a "tactical withdrawal" to Malual

Chaat army barracks, 3 km (2 miles) south of the town, after fighting that started at dawn. "Yes they (rebels) have taken Bor," Nhial, said from the

national capital Juba, 190 km south of Bor by road. Western and regional powers have pushed both sides to end the fighting that has killed at least

1,000 people, cut South Sudan's oil output and raised fears of an ethnic-based civil war in the heart of a fragile region. Information Minister

Michael Makuei told Reuters Machar wants to seize Bor so he could "talk from a position of strength" at peace talks in Addis Ababa, which were

expected to start in neighbouring Ethiopia day after. Government officials

said their troops had been battling the ethnic Nuer "White Army" militia and forces loyal to Peter Gadet, a former army commander who also

rebelled against President Salva Kiir when the fighting broke out in the national capital Juba on December 15. The clashes quickly spread, dividing

the country along the ethnic lines of Machar's Nuer group and Kiir's Dinkas. Humanitarian organisations say tens of thousands of Bor civilians

have crossed the White Nile river to escape the fighting and fled to the swamps

SOUTH SUDAN - Top Gov’t army officer killed by rebels'

By Sudan Tribune: (January 6, 2014) Lt. Gen. Malual Ayom, the deputy chief of general staff for administration in the Sudan People’s Liberation

(SPLA) and "some" other senior officers were reportedly killed around Jameza area, about 35 miles from Bor. The death of the senior general

was not made public until Sunday. A military source in the SPLA on Friday claimed several senior military officers were also killed, but could not

name them. He described the incident as a “disaster.”

Rebel sources put the total numbers of the government troops killed in

that particular incident at "more than 800", but SPLA spokesperson, Philip Aguer, only said an army general was “seriously wounded”, referring to

the demise of the senior officer. The death of the general was, however, confirmed by the rebels and army sources that preferred anonymity. A

BBC correspondent on the ground also reported the killing of a general.

Ayom, who also hails from Bor, commanded thousands of government troops to recapture his home area from the rebels. He was killed when his

forces were “crushed” on the Juba-Bor road before reaching Bor. The

names of the other generals also killed were not released.

REBELS CLAIM DEFEATING THE ARMY ON SUNDAY

Another fierce fighting also erupted on Sunday when the SPLA made another attempt to move to Bor with plans to recapture it. Philip Aguer on

Saturday vowed that Bor would fall to the hands of the government

"within the next 24 hours".

The military spokesperson, however, told reporters in Juba on Sunday that some soldiers indeed defected from their barracks in part of the country’s

Central and Western Equatoria states, but denied the army was weakening. “There is no sign of collapse in the army", Aguer said,

stressing that army defection was part of any conflict. A rebel source, however, said they “lured” the SPLA forces into ambush about 25

kilometers from Bor, adding that the government troops bypassed them while coming through Eastern Equatoria state.

He said the SPLA forces didn’t pass through Juba-Bor road, which the rebels claim to have closed as they match to Juba, the nation’s capital.

“Our forces near Juba knew they were coming and so we trapped them by letting them move deep without noticing our presence along the road

sides and in the forests. We then closed them in from the behind. They were defeated and their remnants were running back to Eastern Equatoria

state as we have closed the Juba-Bor road,” said the rebel source.

Other media houses, including the BBC confirmed Sunday’s fighting on the

road to Bor describing it as “chaotic.” The rebels also claimed that another force moving on the River Nile from Juba to Bor was also destroyed on

Sunday, with many boats sunk or captured, while their remnants reportedly retreated back to Juba. The number of casualties was not yet

known as the SPLA did not comment on the latest development.

Meanwhile the rebels further insist that they were getting closer to the country’s capital, a claim the government dismisses as mere threats. The

fighting which began as a misunderstanding between presidential guard

units has turned into a tribal war fitting the Dinka, the largest ethnic group in South Sudan, against the Nuer, the second largest. (ST)

South Sudan - Government Troops Fight to Recapture the Last Rebel-held

Town’

AFP EAN (January 14, 2014) - South Sudanese government troops on

Saturday commenced a campaign to recapture Bor, the last remaining rebel-held town, the army said, a day after wresting control of a key

northern oil city. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon and the Security Council meanwhile have urged President Salva Kiir to free political

detainees loyal to rebel leader Riek Machar in order to kick start stalled

peace talks. Ban Ki-Moon noted that reports of widespread atrocities committed during the ongoing conflict would be investigated, adding that

“perpetrators of serious human rights violations will be held accountable.”

The fighting has forced nearly 400,000 people to flee their homes and has led to the death of over of 1,000 people, according to the United Nations.

Of those forced to flee, some 350,000 are internally displaced, while the remainder are believed to have fled into neighboring countries.

The International Crisis Group have revealed that an estimated 10,000

people may have been killed in about four weeks of violence in South Sudan, which only secured its independence from Khartoum only three

years ago “There is still fighting near Bor,” South Sudan’s army spokesman Philip Aguer told AFP on Saturday. Meanwhile, the South

Sudanese government made efforts to mobilize thousands of more troops

and deal a final, crushing blow to Machar — a former vice president and seasoned guerrilla fighter — and his allies. On Friday the army took over

Bentiu, capital of the northern oil-producing Unity State. However, the rebels insist this is only a “temporary setback”.

Machar told AFP by telephone that his forces would fight on and defend

Bor, capital of the flash point state of Jonglei some 200 kilometers (120 miles) north of national capital Juba. “We withdrew from Bentiu, but it was

to avoid fighting in the streets and save civilian lives. We fight on, we will continue the battle,” Machar told AFP by phone from an undisclosed

location. A rebel military spokesman claims some oil infrastructure near

Bentiu are still currently under rebel control. South Sudan’s crude production, a key source of income for the impoverished nation, has

dropped by around a fifth since the fighting began. An AFP reporter in Minkammen, across the White Nile from Bor where tens of thousands of

people have sought refuge, saw dozens of government soldiers boarding barges and heading to the front line.

Fighting began on December 15th last year in South Sudan, following

clashes between different army units. The fighting spread rapidly with government troops conducting battles against breakaway soldiers and

ethnic militiamen loosely allied to Machar. The conflict has also sparked a

sharp upsurge in ethnic violence between members of President Kiir’s majority Dinka tribe against Machar’s Nuer community. The East African

regional bloc IGAD has been hosting ceasefire talks in a luxury hotel in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, trying to get the two sides to agree to a

ceasefire. But Machar has demanded that 11 of his allies who were arrested by the government when the fighting started be released before

he agrees to a truce.

January 14, 2014: The South Sudan government denied rebel claims that rebel fighters had taken control of the town of Malakal (Upper Nile state).

Both sides acknowledge that the fighting around Malakal has been fierce.

UN observers reported intermittent firefights between government and

rebel forces near Malakal (Upper Nile state).

January 15, 2014: The advance party of a Nepalese Army unit reinforcing

the UN peacekeeping mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) arrived in Juba. Ultimately a Nepalese battalion of around 850 soldiers will deploy. Part of

the Nepalese contingent (350 men) are being shifted from the UN Stabilization Mission in South Sudan rebels and pro-government

negotiators continue to meet in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Mediators claimed that the negotiators are close to agreeing to a ceasefire.

January 16, 2014: Uganda said that some of its combat units in South Sudan are now fighting on the side of the South Sudan government. A

Ugandan Army battalion is fighting near the strategic town of Bor. Ugandan soldiers participated in a large battle on January 13 on the road

between Juba and Bor (90 kilometers north of Juba). The Ugandan Army acknowledged that some Ugandan soldiers died in that firefight, but gave

no official casualty figure. Rebel commanders claimed that Ugandan Army attack helicopters and artillery had participated in a battle near the town

of Mongala (Central Equatoria state). That battle may be the one in which Ugandan soldiers were killed.

January 17, 2014: South Sudan claimed that rebel leaders do not have full control of their forces. In the government’s opinion, rebel leaders involved

in ceasefire negotiations cannot assure mediators that rebel forces will quit fighting if and when a ceasefire deal is reached.

January 18, 2014: South Sudanese rebels claimed that they had not lost

the battle of Bor but conducted a strategic withdrawal from the town. Meanwhile, South Sudanese forces claimed they had taken control of Bor

and defeated more than 15,000 rebels. The Ugandan Army claimed that its soldiers played a key role in the capture of Bor. The rebels are referring

to the Ugandan Army as mercenaries. Bor is the capital of Jonglei state.

The Sudan peoples Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) claimed that its

forces in Sudan's Blue Nile state had killed several dozens of Sudanese Army soldiers in a recent battle near Malkan. The SPLM-N ambushed a

convoy near the town of Malkan. The rebels claimed they disabled on Sudanese Army tank and captured two tanks. They also seized several

artillery pieces.

Combat has destroyed the town of Bor with some neighborhoods are

burned out. At least 25,000 people are homeless. Rebel forces may have killed around 1,200 people when they seized the town on December 17

and attempted to hold it against a government counter-attack. Government forces drove the rebels out on December 24 but the rebels

counter-attacked and regained control on December 31.

South Sudan has sent military reinforcements to Warrap state. Rebels launched a small scale but deadly attack in the state on January 13.

Though only two people were killed, the rebel force stole a large herd of

cattle. Civilians in the state requested the government provide more

security forces. Prior to the attack the government had beefed up police units in the area. However, since the attack the government has promised

to deploy more SPLA units. At least one battalion has re-deployed to

Warrap state.

January 19, 2014: Senior Sudanese Army officials denied accusations that Sudan intended to enter South Sudan’s civil war. According to the

Sudanese military, Sudan would only join the war if it had a bilateral treaty with South Sudan’s government. No such treaty exists.

Uganda confirmed that Ugandan Army soldiers helped recapture the town of Bor (Jonglei state). Uganda is openly allied with the South Sudan

government.

January 20, 2013: The SPLA had driven rebel forces from the town of Malakal (capital of Upper Nile state). Government soldiers now control

Malakal and the immediately surrounding area. Rebel leaders disputed the claim. Observer reports indicate that government forces do indeed control

the town. However, UN peacekeeping troops reported that heavy gunfire (small arms) continues in the area. Photos confirm that many

neighborhoods in Malakal have been destroyed. Malakal has changed

hands several times in the last four weeks. Upper Nile state is an oil-producing region.

The South Sudanese government has accused rebel fighters of murdering

127 hospital patients in the town of Bor (Jonglei state). The alleged atrocity occurred when rebels attacked Bor on December 19, 2013.

January 22, 2013: NGOs (non-governmental aid organizations) accused Sudan of using the civil war in South Sudan as a cover to launch new

attacks on its own rebels. The group focused on Sudan’s extensive offensive in South Kordofan state. During December 2013, the Sudanese

Air Force conducted 56 confirmed bomb attacks in South Kordofan. 35 aerial bombing attacks occurred during the first two weeks of January

2014.

January 23, 2014: South Sudan government, rebels sign ceasefire'

AFP News Analysis: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia - South Sudan's government

and rebels on Thursday signed a ceasefire agreement, pledging to halt fighting within 24 hours and end five weeks of bitter conflict that has left

thousands dead.The agreement was signed in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa by representatives of South Sudan's President Salva Kiir and rebel

delegates loyal to ousted vice president Riek Machar, and was greeted by cheers from regional mediators and diplomats.

Mediators from the East African regional bloc IGAD, which has been brokering the peace talks, said the deal will put in place a verification and

monitoring mechanism for the truce.

South Sudan's government also agreed to release 11 officials close to

Machar who were detained after fighting between rival army units broke out on December 15, although no timeline for their release was given. The

status of the detainees had been a major sticking point in the talks.

"These two agreements are the ingredients to create an environment for

achieving a total peace in my country," said Taban Deng, head of the rebel delegation.

He said he hoped the deal would "pave the way for a serious national

political dialogue aiming at reaching a lasting peace in South Sudan," the

world's newest nation which only won independence from Khartoum in 2011.

Government negotiator Nhial Deng Nhial said the negotiations, which have

been dragging on in a luxury hotel in Addis Ababa for three weeks, were "not easy".

"We hope to be able to make haste towards an agreement that will end bloodshed," he said, but voiced scepticism over the ability of the rebels,

comprised of renegade army units and ethnic militia, to halt their operations.

"What worries us is whether the agreement on the cessation of hostilities

will stick (and) the capacity of the rebel group... to stop fighting," he added. "We would like to take this opportunity to urge the rebel group to

heed the voice of reason and abandon the quest for political power through violence."

Widespread atrocities

After initial clashes broke out in the capital Juba more than a month ago, the conflict rapidly escalated into all-out war between the regular army,

who have been backed by Ugandan troops, and breakaway army units and other militia.

The violence also took on an ethnic dimension as members of Kiir's Dinka tribe clashed with Machar's Nuer group.

Aid workers and analysts believe up to 10,000 people have died, while

close to half a million have been forced to flee their homes, with atrocities allegedly committed by both sides.

On Monday government forces recaptured the town of Malakal situated in the strategic oil-producing Upper Nile state and the last major settlement

under rebel control. Large numbers of rebel forces, however, are still massed in rural areas and smaller towns.

Malakal, the town of Bentiu in oil-producing Unity State and Jonglei State

capital Bor have all been largely destroyed and emptied after weeks of

sometimes intense combat.

Jan Egeland, a former United Nations aid chief and now head of the

Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), on Thursday described the scale of the atrocities and war crimes -- including the recruitment of child soldiers --

as being as bad as those seen in Syria or Somalia.

"We're very, very concerned that there's more and more killings along

ethnic lines," Egeland told AFP. "The gruesome slaughtering of defenceless civilians is as bad as in Syria, in Somalia, as elsewhere. The whole point

here is that it can be avoided, it should be avoided, it must be avoided."

The United Nations has said it is investigating widespread reports of

atrocities and war crimes, including massacres, gang rapes and summary executions.

January 23, 2014: South Sudan’s government (president Salva Kiir’s

supporters) and the rebels (former vice-president Riek Machar’s faction) have signed a ceasefire agreement. Mediators in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

said than the deal will include a verification and monitoring force to observe the ceasefire and report on violations. The East African

Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) sponsored the ceasefire talks and will be involved in organizing the monitoring teams.

Though the agreement is temporary, pending further negotiations, it

requires both sides to lay down their arms. The government must also release 11 imprisoned opposition political leaders.

Meanwhile looters stole over 3,700 tons of food. The biggest thefts

occurred in warehouses in Unity state.

January 24, 2014: South Sudan rebels accused government forces of

breaking the ceasefire and attacking at least two of their positions, one in Jonglei state and the other in Unity state. The rebels made the claim

despite a stipulation in the ceasefire agreement that both sides had a 24 hour period to end combat operations without violating the

ceasefire. Poor communication is one reason for the grace period. The Cessation of Hostilities Agreement (CHA, official name of ceasefire deal)

requires all allied combat units to leave the “theater of operations.” The document does not specifically mention Uganda but everyone knows the

CHA is referring to Uganda. Ugandan Army troops have participated in several battles on the side of South Sudanese government.

January 25, 2014: Rebel leader Riek Machar announced that the ceasefire agreement between his supporters and the South Sudan government

would only become final when the Ugandan Army had left the country. Machar and his supporters are now referring to themselves as the Sudan

Peoples Liberation Movement/Army in Opposition (SPLA/M-O). The name makes a political statement. The rebels are making the argument that

they are not rebels but a legitimate opposition faction of the SPLM which was forced to take up arms. The pro-Kiir government soldiers in the SPLA

refer to the rebels as mutineers and traitors.

January 26, 2014: Fighting continues in South Sudan despite the ceasefire

agreement. The government claimed its forces engaged rebels in Lakes state. One firefight occurred near the White Nile River. A rebel group was

attempting to pass through Lakes state to link up with rebel forces in

Unity state.

January 26, 2014: South Sudan Rebels Say Fighting Has Worsened Since Cease-Fire'

Bloomberg News Analysis - Rebels say fighting in South Sudan has

intensified since a cease-fire that was intended to suspend a five-week

conflict that has killed thousands of people and driven half a million from their homes. Government forces allied with fighters from the Justice and

Equality Movement, or Jem, “wiped out everything” when they burned administrative buildings and nearby villages in Koch County in the Unity

region today, Lul Ruai Koang, a spokesman for the insurgents, said in a phone interview from Nairobi, Kenya. “It has flared up, it has actually

intensified,” he said about the fighting since a truce came into effect on the evening of Jan. 24.

“I think the government wanted to take advantage of the cessation of

hostilities to encroach on our territory.” Rebels also clashed with the

military in the Upper Nile region, south of Malakal, where Koang alleged government troops killed civilians, including religious leaders. The

government hadn’t received any reports of fighting after clashes yesterday and will investigate all reports of human-rights abuses by soldiers if it

receives them, Philip Aguer, a spokesman for the military said today. JEM, a rebel group operating in the Darfur region of Sudan, has no role in the

conflict, Gibreel Adam Bilal, spokesman for the group, said by phone from London today. Matiang near Bor in Jonglei state has been attacked five

times in 48 hours, Aguer said by phone from the capital of Juba. A lack of control over “armed civilians” fighting the government and no monitoring

of the agreement has led to rebel violations of the cease-fire, he said.

Progressively Withdraw: Both sides were responsible for “mass atrocities,”

United Nations Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights Ivan Simonovic said on Jan. 17 after a four-day visit to the country. The

violence erupted in the world’s newest nation on Dec. 15 after President Salva Kiir accused former Vice President Riek Machar, whom he fired in

July, of trying to stage a coup, a charge Machar denies. Clashes followed between members of Kiir’s ethnic Dinka community and Machar’s Nuer

group.

South Sudan gained independence from Sudan in July, 2011, following a

two-decade civil war with the north. Both sides are to “redeploy and/or progressively withdraw” their own and allied forces from the “theater of

operations,” according to the cease-fire accord.

The Intergovernmental Authority on Development, the seven-nation regional group that helped mediate the agreement, will lead an unarmed,

Juba-based monitoring and verification team that will oversee the cease-

fire. The military doesn’t know when effective oversight of the cease-fire will be in place or whether it “will happen”, Aguer said.

Detainees’ Release: The United Nations in South Sudan is ready to “provide critical support” to the cease-fire monitoring process that is

“essential for the implementation’ of the truce, Farhan Haq, a spokesman for the UN Secretary-General, said in an e-mailed statement on Jan 24.

Companies including China National Petroleum Corp. and India’s Oil & Natural Gas Corp. (ONGC) have evacuated employees from the country

because of the violence. South Sudan has sub-Saharan Africa’s largest oil reserves after Nigeria and Angola, according to BP Plc (BP/) data.

Delegations negotiating the truce in Addis Ababa signed two agreements, one covering the cessation of hostilities, and the other on the issue of 11

detainees who have been held without charge since the fighting began.

The arrested politicians include Pagan Amum, the former secretary-general of the ruling Sudan People’s Liberation Movement, and ex-Cabinet

Affairs Minister Deng Alor.

Ugandan Troops: The rebels previously demanded that the detained politicians be freed before they would sign a cease-fire accord. Mediators

will now work to have the detainees released to participate in the next phase of talks starting Feb. 7, the head of the rebel delegation, Taban

Deng Gai, said in an interview. The agreements make no specific reference to the withdrawal of Ugandan troops from South Sudan, one of

the key rebel demands before the signing. The two sides agreed that ‘‘all

forces should withdraw from theaters of operation, where there is physical fighting,” Information Minister Michael Makuei said. Uganda’s military says

it has about 1,600 soldiers in the country. Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni said the forces were deployed to support South Sudanese

government troops. (Text ends)

January 28, 2014: South Sudan Admits Mass Defection of its Army to Machar's Rebels'

JUBA: South Sudanese government on Monday reveals officially for the first time a situation of mass defection of its troops to rebels led by the

former vice- president, Riek Machar, calling for more involvement of foreign forces to "fill the gap." The renewed government's call for more

interventions by foreign forces came days after the United Nations and many other countries including the US, Ethiopia, Kenya and Sudan warned

of "regionalization of the conflict" and called for the withdrawal of the Ugandan army and other allied foreign forces from the new country.

Ethiopia whose supports Machar's Rebels, widely believed has the political upper hand for the time being in South Sudan'

January 29, 2014: South Sudan has released seven arrested opposition political leaders who supported the rebellion. However, the government

said that it intends to put several rebel leaders on trial. The charge will be launching a coup to topple the government. Diplomats said the decision to

try the rebels could reignite the conflict. Though no major ceasefire

violations were reported today, the ceasefire remains fragile.

Political differences and personal animosity between South Sudanese head

Salvaa Kiir and rebel leader Riek Machar may be the root cause, but inter-ethnic violence certainly a component. That’s why the governors want to

make certain no single ethnic group dominates the security forces.

January 30, 2014: The governors in South Sudan’s Eastern Equatoria, Central Equatoria and Western Equatoria states are advocating an ethnic

quota system for manning the military and police. They believe a system

which draws on ethnic groups from all regions will discourage coups and inter-ethnic fighting. The governors signed a statement which encourages

leaders in South Sudan to denounce politicians and political parties who use tribal disagreements to advance their own agendas.

February 8, 2014: the South Sudan said it is implementing the peace

agreement signed in late January with the Jonglei state rebel group, the South Sudan Democratic Movement (SSDM, the political wing of David

Yau Yau’s Cobra Faction militia.)

February 9, 2014: Ceasefire violations occurred in South Sudan’s Jonglei

state and in Upper Nile state. Both government rebel forces have violated the ceasefire agreement.

February 10, 2014: Rebels in South Sudan acknowledged that the

government does control Jonglei state’s major cities but has no control over rural areas.

South Sudan forces captured a rebel supply dump in Jonglei state.

Regional mediators indicated that Great Britain, the U.S. and Norway may form another “diplomatic troika” to forward a political settlement in South

Sudan. The three countries which conduct the negotiations which led to the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) which ended the Sudan

civil war. The three countries may form a quartet by adding China as a

fourth member. Meanwhile, observers reported numerous ceasefire violations by both the government and rebel forces throughout South

Sudan.

February 12, 2014: CIVIL WAR: What ceasefire South Sudan violence persists’

By ILYA GRIDNEFF and JASON STRAZIUSO

JUBA, South Sudan (AP) - Cluster bombs. Rebel forces advancing on a major city. Accusations of continuing attacks. The cease-fire in South

Sudan appears to not be holding.

Negotiators for the two warring sides appeared to put a plug in some of

the vicious violence by signing a cease-fire on Jan. 23. But the fighting has continued since then, and may even be ramping up.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday said he is deeply

concerned about "ongoing fighting and skirmishes" in two states inside South Sudan.

An internal security report from an aid group forum in Juba, the capital of South Sudan, said new fighting has been reported outside of Malakal, the

capital of Upper Nile, an oil-producing state. Aid groups are being advised to exercise extreme caution in the city because of nearby rebel forces.

"The exact numbers and positions of this force remains unknown, but it is

thought that the city is partially surrounded from the south, west and

east. Furthermore, it has been suggested that were an attack to occur, the objective would not be looting but revenge for alleged abuses by

government forces in Malakal's recent battles," the report said.

The same report said an attack by rebels north of Bor, a contested city in Jonglei state, is alleged to have killed more than 60 people, including

many civilians. Authorities were not able to provide any more details from a region where reliable information is difficult to come by.

The U.N.'s leader for humanitarian affairs, Valerie Amos, upgraded the South Sudan crisis to a Level 3 emergency on Wednesday. On Tuesday

the top U.N. aid official in the country warned of the potential of famine in the country if continuing violence prevents residents from planting and

harvesting crops.

Peace talks were supposed to re-start in Ethiopia this week but have gotten off to a slow start because rebels say not all elements of the cease-

fire deal are being implemented. On Wednesday negotiators were moving

from the capital, Addis Ababa, to the resort city of Debre Zeit, while Kenya's president said seven South Sudanese political detainees being

hosted in Kenya were to fly to Ethiopia on Wednesday for the talks, a key rebel demand.

Nhial Deng Nhaial, head of the government negotiating team in Ethiopia,

said the government of South Sudan has honored the cease-fire commitment.

"However, we are deeply disappointed and dismayed by the flagrant and repeated violations of the agreement by the other party," he said in an

interview Wednesday. He added there needs to be the urgent formation of a monitoring and verification team that would monitor the cease-fire deal.

A day earlier, Gen. Taban Deng Gai, the chief negotiator for the rebels,

said he was profoundly disappointed in South Sudan President Salva Kiir for violating the cease-fire. The rebels want Ugandan forces providing air

support to South Sudan to leave the country. There is no indication that

will happen anytime soon.

The U.N. secretary-general also condemned the use of cluster bombs, remnants of which he said were found last week by U.N. anti-mine staff.

Such bombs are unreliable and indiscriminate and have the potential to

cause long-term danger to civilians and vehicles, Ban's spokesman said in

a statement.

South Sudan descended into chaos in mid-December as fighting broke out

between troops loyal to the government and rebels who support the former vice president. Thousands have been killed in violent rampages

that often have taken on ethnic dimensions.

South Sudan peacefully broke away from Sudan in 2011 after more than 20 years of civil war but had lingering internal grievances that were never

addressed.

The aid group Doctors Without Borders on Tuesday said the deteriorating

security situation around Leer in Unity state is having "devastating consequences" for thousands of people hiding in the countryside.

"The situation on the ground is chaotic and hostile and it is very difficult to

know where the civilians have fled to from Leer," says Raphael Gorgeu,

the group's South Sudan head of mission. (Text ends)

February 12, 2014: Uganda is withdrawing combat forces from South Sudan. The withdrawal will occur in phases in order to insure stability in

South Sudan. Uganda expects the AU to provide replacements for the withdrawing Ugandan forces. In December 2013 Uganda deployed at least

4,000 soldiers inside South Sudan. The AU intends to send around 5,500 peacekeepers to South Sudan.

February 13, 2014: Investigators have substantiated claims by Nuer tribes that when the South Sudan civil war began on December 15, 2013, Dinka

soldiers did go on a murder spree in the capital, Juba. The Dinkas targeted Nuer civilians.

February 14, 2014: Despite the January 23 ceasefire agreement, rebel

fighters in South Sudan launched another attack near the town of Malakal (capital of Upper Nile state). The rebel force damaged an oil production

facility in an oil field near Malakal. Both the government and rebels

exchanged accusations that the other side broke the ceasefire. The government claimed that the rebels began selectively attacking oil

facilities on February 12. South Sudan continues to produces around 200,000 barrels of oil per day. In early December 2013 South Sudan was

producing approximately 250,000 barrels a day.

February 14, 2014 Maban, – As schools re-opened at the beginning of the month, an uneasy calm prevails in Maban, Upper Nile State of South

Sudan. Staff from NGOs, both local and international, have started trickling back to the county, located in the northeastern part of Upper Nile

State in South Sudan. According to the UN Office for Coordination of

Humanitarian Affairs, an estimated 863,000 people have been displaced by recent conflict which broke out in mid-December 2013. The majority of

displaced remain inside South Sudan while 123,000 have fled to nearby countries.

The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) has registered between 3,000 and 3,500

internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Maban to date. Before the conflict erupted in South Sudan, 120,092 individual refugees were currently

settled in four camps in Maban county: Doro, Batil, Gendrassa and

Jamam. As of late, the area around Maban has been generally calm, although there is still a curfew which has now been reduced to 10 hours a

day. Many NGO staff, including those of UNHCR, were expected back to the area from Monday 3 February 2014.

Millions affected by conflict. According to the BBC, the UN estimates that

3.7 million people are in acute need of food in South Sudan as a result of conflict there. UN Humanitarian Chief, Valerie Amos, ended her three-day

mission to South Sudan on 29 January, highlighting the dire situation affecting hundreds of thousands of people in the world's youngest country.

"People are short of food, living in conditions with poor sanitation and very

little water", said Ms Amos who visited displaced families in the capital, Juba, and in the town of Malakal in Upper Nile State.

In 2014, the Jesuit Refugee Service plans to provide education and

psychosocial services in all four camps in Maban. Teacher training had been planned as one of the major activities of JRS in Maban, scheduled to

begin in January 2014. Due to insecurity, however, the project was put on hold. A JRS needs assessment at end of January 2014 revealed that

UNHCR, and many NGOs, such as Lutheran World Federation (LWF) and Save the Children, were optimistic that activities would be soon back to

normal in Maban. JRS plans to resume its activities next month.

Challenges encountered. As NGOs trickle back to Maban, an acute fuel

shortage may hamper their operations. Fuel used to be brought from Juba to Maban by boat, but now due to conflict access is blocked. Remaining

fuel is thus being rationed and limited to only essential services, such as pumping drinking water. The UN has resorted to bringing in fuel by air but

this is proving costly and unsustainable. While such resources may be limited, further stability in the country seems to be on its way. A ceasefire

agreement between the rival army factions, which began the violence in mid-December, was signed on 23 January 2014 in Addis Ababa bringing

hope that peace would be restored.

According to the World Food Programme, South Sudanese continue to

cross the border into Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia and Sudan. The situation remains unpredictable, even though the number of new arrivals has

stabilised since the signing of the ceasefire agreement. As many NGOs prepare to resume full operations in Maban, it is hoped the fragile

ceasefire will hold and relative peace will be restored to South Sudan. We continue to pray that peace will prevail in Africa's newest state. In 2012,

JRS Eastern Africa closed four projects in South Sudan; namely, Nimule, Lobone, Kajo Keji and Yei after more than 15 years in the area. The

closure of these projects was after the realisation that a good foundation

had been laid and returnees could build upon it and stand on their own. In

late 2012, JRS established a project in the Yambio county of Western

Equatoria State, and in 2013 expanded into Upper Nile State.February 15, 2014: South Sudan believes that Sudan is providing support for South

Sudanese rebel forces loyal to former vice-president Riek Machar. Uganda

and Ethiopia believe that Sudan is collaborating with Eritrea to supply the pro-Machar rebels.

February 16, 2014: People in South Kordofan state (Sudan) claimed that

Sudanese Air Force aircraft dropped 13 parachute bombs on the villages of Dar and Tamadirgo. There is much evidence that the Sudan has

dropped around 1,400 bombs in the Nuba Mountains since April 2012.

February 17, 2014: Rebel and South Sudan government forces are

fighting in an oil producing area near Malakal.

February 21, 2014: The South Sudan government acknowledged that rebel forces had defeated government forces in a battle near the town of

Malakal (Upper Nile state). A rebel force now controls the center of the town. Government forces remain near the town.

February 23, 2014: The South Sudan government claimed that its forces had defeated three rebel assaults on the town of Gadlang, which is near

Bor (capital of Jonglei state). Meanwhile, the South Sudan rebels insisted that they be referred to as the Sudan Peoples Liberation Movement in

Opposition.

February 24, 2014: South Sudanese rebels now control the area outside the town of Malakal (capital of Upper Nile state, South Sudan) and that a

small contingent of rebels occupies a position within the now largely

destroyed town. UN peacekeepers discovered over a hundred decomposing bodies along a highway outside of Malakal. The dead were

probably killed in a battle that occurred in the area in mid-February. A medical aid group reported that the town itself has suffered immense

damage and is largely deserted. Satellite photos taken on February 20 and February 23 showed that approximately half of the town was destroyed in

the mid-February combat.

February 26, 2014: More fighting occurred in South Sudan’s Upper Nile state near the town of Malakal. Meanwhile, the UN is investigating charges

that rebel fighters murdered patients who in a hospital in Malakal when

they attacked the city on February 14.

It appears that up to 10,000 people were killed in fighting in South Sudan since mid-December 2013. In addition about one million people in South

Sudan were displaced and became internal refugees.

The South Sudan United Democratic Alliances (SSUDA) has asked AU

diplomats that it be included in new peace talks in South Sudan. The SSUDA claims it represents the interests of groups within South Sudan

who are not aligned with president Salva Kiir or rebel leader Riek Machar.

February 27, 2014: Ethiopia and Sudan have agreed to deploy a joint

border monitoring force between the two Sudans.

South Sudan’s government said that it has arrested around 100 soldiers

and accused them of being involved in a December 15, 2013 mass murder spree in the national capital, Juba.

February 28, 2014: The Sudan Peoples Liberation Movement-North

(SPLM-N) accused the Sudan government (Khartoum) of failing to negotiate in good faith. African Union (AU) mediators have been trying to

get Sudan and the SPLM-N to resume negotiations to end the fighting in

Sudan’s South Kordofan state.

March 2, 2014: War crimes investigators went searching for evidence in South Sudan’s Upper Nile and Unity states and found that both the

government (pro-Salva Kiir) and rebels (pro-Riek Machar faction) committed numerous atrocities. The pro-Kiir forces are predominantly

Dinka tribesmen. Machar’s forces are primarily Nuer, though some Dinka support Machar.

March 24, 2014: DIARIES: Humanitarian crisis looms as refugees from South Sudan pour into Ethiopia’

Ethiopian official insists borders will not be closed despite influx piling

increasing strain in one of the country's poorest regions

the guardian.com By Elissa Jobson - "We left all our property – our home,

our goats and chickens. I ran out and this is all that I have," Nyakuom Tongyik says, pointing to the floral dress and pink scarf she is wearing.

The 22-year-old is one of more than 70,000 refugees who have crossed the border into Ethiopia, fleeing fighting and devastation in South Sudan.

Her husband and father were killed when clashes erupted in their home

town of Malakal, she says, sitting in her cramped, hot white tent at Leitchor refugee camp in Gambella, western Ethiopia. She escaped with

two of her children, but was separated from the third amid the chaos.

During the 20-day walk to the Akobo border, Tongyik's daughter fell sick. "She died on the way," she says. "There was no way to get her to the

hospital."

Gambella, one of the poorest regions in one of the most food-insecure countries, was home to more than 76,000 asylum seekers from South

Sudan when fighting erupted in Juba in December. The UN refugee agency, the UNHCR, is preparing to accommodate an influx of 150,000

refugees, but the government is concerned that the actual figure will be much higher.

"I don't want to exaggerate, but maybe 300,000, maybe more than that because there is no food in South Sudan and the rains start in this region

in May, so people will come to Ethiopia to seek refuge," says Ayalew Aweke, deputy director of the Ethiopian Administration for Refugees and

Returnees Affairs (Arra).

Refugees from South Sudan are also escaping south to Uganda and Kenya

and north to Sudan, but with the onset of the rainy season, options will be limited and many more civilians will be driven towards Ethiopia.

Transporting food and other supplies to the refugees will become more

difficult and expensive as the few existing roads, many of them little more than dirt tracks, become impassable. Then there are the additional threats

around sanitation and health – malaria, diarrhoea and cholera included.

Moses Okello, the UNHCR representative to Ethiopia, is aware of the pressing need to respond. "The rain is bringing to us an urgency, the need

for us to act very, very quickly to get things in place where they are not." In response, the World Food Programme is pre-positioning 1,530 tonnes

of food in the region – enough to cover the needs of 80,000 refugees for one month. UNCHR is also trying to secure the use of helicopters to help

move people and provisions before the rains begin.

About 95% of those seeking refuge in Ethiopia are women and children –

an unusually high proportion. "I came with many women from the village. The men went to fight. We were only women," Marsara Nyakuicak, a

refugee from Gul Guk, South Sudan, says. Almost all the refugees interviewed had friends or relatives who had joined the rebel forces.

"We have heard reports of children as young as 14 and 15 being kept behind deliberately by the fighting forces on the South Sudan side," says

Dr Peter Salama, a representative of the UN children's agency, Unicef, in Ethiopia.

The refugees deny forced conscription is taking place, but 19-year-old

Kong Chul said he had been requested to join the White Army – a Nuer militia originally formed for cattle raiding – but no arms had been

available to him.

Salama is also concerned about the number of unaccompanied minors

crossing the border – more than 500 have been registered so far. Brothers Gatluak and Nhial Koang, aged eight and 10, respectively, were separated

from their parents. "The fighting was very close to our village. When we saw others running we started running away," Gatluak whispers, tightly

holding his brother's hand. "We don't know where they are," he says.

As the crisis continues, the physical condition of arriving refugees is

deteriorating and the prevalence of malnutrition is alarmingly high. A recent survey recorded global acute malnutrition levels of almost 38%,

more than double the critical emergency rate of 15%.

"We've also got huge issues with measles," Salama says. Outbreaks of the disease in South Sudan have been reported, and 60-70 cases were

documented across the border in Ethiopia during the past week. Unicef, together with Arra and the regional health bureaux, is supporting a mass

immunisation campaign. To date, more than 22,000 children have been vaccinated, but Salama is worried about a possible epidemic. "We have a

very short, time-limited window of opportunity to scale up this operation if

we are going to avoid an enormous amount of preventable deaths and

disability," he says.

The response of the central and local authorities has been roundly praised.

"The Ethiopia government and the people have been very generous. They have opened up their borders and allowed refugees to come into this

country and this is not the first time they've done this," Okello says.

But the absorption of a huge number of people into a region with a population of about 307,000 is bound to present problems. So far, the

local communities have welcomed the refugees – it helps that the exiles

and their hosts are from the same Nuer ethnic group. However, Gatluak Tut Khot, Gambella's regional president, is aware of the possible tensions.

"We received them peacefully,' he says. "The host community are very willing and very happy. There is no problem, but they are asking that if

the town is growing there may be some contribution for the indigenous population."

Despite the strain placed on Gambella, Gatluak insists the borders will not

be closed. Ayelew confirms this, and appeals for assistance from the international community. "The world knows that there is a problem in

South Sudan but they don't know that people are coming to Ethiopia …

Our efforts are overstretched and still people are coming," he says. "I don't know when they will stop coming to Ethiopia unless some great

assistance is given in South Sudan. (Text ends)

April 10, 2014: SOUTH SUDAN: East Africa’s New Diplomatic Oil Game’

HAN & Geeska Afrika Online Addis Ababa – The eruption of fighting in

South Sudan brought East Africa’s political crises into sharp focus at a time of optimism about the region’s economic take-off. Undaunted,

analysts point to fast-improving transport links and new oil and gas discoveries.

Four leaders dominate the East African diplomatic chess-board, its

diplomacy, its soldiering and its business interests. With new railways and road networks, together with new pipelines and electric power grids, they

are forging political alliances that will allow them to reshape the region. At international gatherings such as the African Union summit in Addis Ababa,

the four gravitate towards each other: Ethiopia’s Hailemariam Desalegn,

Kenya’s Uhuru Kenyatta, Rwanda’s Paul Kagame and Uganda’s Yoweri Museveni.

We have refused to be a proxy for foreign powers in this conflict. It’s a

major shift in our regional diplomatic orientation Photographers and reporters catch them sharing jokes and exchanging notes about diplomatic

tactics. Differing in age and political experience, they argue about many details but there is a critical point of consensus. If East Africa is to grasp

the economic opportunities now available, there must be a determined effort to integrate its markets and economies, even if that means making

concessions and compromises in the short term. All four run

interventionist foreign policies – Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda sent troops

into Somalia, while Rwandan and Ugandan troops have been both invited to and expelled from the Democratic Republic of Congo.

They all favour a statist hand on the economic tiller, but they are all building up business classes on whose political loyalty they can rely. All

have supported Kenyatta in his attempts to avoid prosecution at the International Criminal Court. Economic growth and breaking away from

dependence on Western markets are common imperatives. None of them enthuse about democracy, particularly in its Western, liberal variants.

Their shared political credo is a kind of pragmatic authoritarianism. Like China’s Deng Xiaoping, they do not care whether the cat is black or white

as long as it catches mice. Above all, these leaders’ solidarity is informed by a common economic interest.

As Gabriel Negatu, regional director of the African Development Bank, points out: “East Africa is the most promising regional bloc. [It] has

registered between 5 and 6% growth annually for the past decade. We estimate that regional gross domestic product will expand 18-fold by the

middle of the century, from $185bn in 2010 to $3.5trn by 2050. This era is comparable to the period immediately after independence.” This

economic promise is based on the depth and scale of integration, says Negatu. If Ethiopia is drawn into the East African Community (EAC), there

could be a single market of more than 200 million people. Regional competition and transport links are incentives. Although Uganda

discovered oil in Bunyoro in 2006, production was delayed by disputes

with oil companies over the size of a planned local refinery and pipeline routes. Following Kenya’s discovery of oil in Turkana in 2010, Kampala

has speeded up its plans and signed a pipeline deal with Nairobi.

The dragon’s desire: On 5 February, Uganda signed an agreement worth more than $8bn with the China National Offshore Oil Company, France’s

Total and Ireland’s Tullow to build a refinery at Lake Albert, an export pipeline to Kenya’s coast and an oil-fired power station. Such investment

depends critically on integration. “Assuming the reform agenda progresses – a moderate level of customs harmonisation and deepening of a regional

trade integration – this would have a tremendous effect on regional

growth,” says Angus Downie, a research analyst with the Lomé-based Ecobank.

What you are seeing today, regardless of the differences, is a strong

consensus within the region to sort out our own issues By 2020, two mammoth railway projects are due for completion: firstly the Dar es

Salaam-Isaka-Kigali route; and secondly the Mombasa-Nairobi-Kigali route. The railways are two of the largest attempts at regional

transformation for a century.

They are both critically dependent on China’s state-owned banks and

construction companies. Through a combination of grants, loans and tied aid agreements, China is almost single- handedly reshaping the region.

“Look, even if you had four, five or six World Banks, there is no way they

would have sunk in this kind of capital to individual projects in one region. There is not a bank or an international bond issue that would commit

these kinds of resources to single-issue projects. It is just too risky,” says

a Nairobi-based economic analyst. He adds: “Let’s agree, despite all the talk of corruption associated with them, that these are transformative

projects that the region needs.”But the political economy is another matter: the rush for growth is sharpening inequalities and political

discontent. “Not only the rate of growth matters, but also the quality. Governments need to ensure that it is shared across the board,” says

Negatu.

A recent report by the Society for International Development sounds alarm bells: “The trouble in East Africa is that the speed of change is

overwhelming the capacity of the industrial and service sectors to provide

the jobs and alternative livelihood opportunities.” Elsewhere, it says: “A formal wage-paying job is a privilege for a tiny minority of East Africa.

Just 1.6% of Uganda’s, 4% of Burundi’s, 5% of Tanzania’s and 6% of Kenya’s working populations are formally employed.”

Social contract unraveled: Without adept political management, the

prospect of economies expanding quickly but without a commensurate increase in jobs would worsen inequalities and social tensions. Fast-

growing cities such as Nairobi and Kampala are drawing in migrants from across the region, but very few formal jobs are available.

Instead, the shanty towns expand inexorably, housing disenchanted new arrivals who feel cut off from the new economy. Providing them with basic

state services and jobs will test the ingenuity of governments. For governments tempted to ignore the new underclass, South Sudan serves

as a cautionary tale. An abiding weakness of governments in East Africa is their ethnocentrism: their tendency to favour crassly their ethnic support

bases in the allocation of public sector jobs, appointments, commercial opportunities and government tenders. South Sudan’s crisis may have

been exacerbated by its weak institutions, but the best illustration of this was the government’s failure to rein in cronyism, corruption and ethnic

rivalries in the state sector. In South Sudan, these weaknesses caused a

war. In other countries in the region, they produce bad elections and policy-making, and hold back burgeoning economies.

The ugandan play: The explosion of fighting in South Sudan in December

2013 has produced much soul searching and ad hoc diplomacy. Every supporter of Africa’s newest state believed they had a right to admonish

and advise the two war- ring sides, much to the irritation of East Africa’s leaders. “People say that South Sudan is a failed state. I disagree. South

Sudan is a state that never was,” says Mabior Garang de Mabior, son of Sudan People’s Liberation Movement founder John Garang and a member

of former vice-president Riek Machar’s negotiating team. “The first

republic of South Sudan is dead. We should now begin considering how to

constitute the second republic,” he argues. Beyond clashes between the

supporters of Riek and President Salva Kiir, South Sudan’s crisis is testing the solidity of regional diplomacy. The biggest danger is that the national

conflict could escalate and draw in countries from the region.

Immediately problematic was the continued presence of Uganda’s troops,

with their avowed mission to shore up Salva’s government. The January ceasefire agreement contained a clause about withdrawal of foreign

troops, but its ambiguity has allowed Juba and Kampala to ignore it. How the Ugandan troops issue is handled will determine the direction and

duration of the crisis, according to officials at the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), the eight-member regional

development and security body.

President Museveni mounted a robust defence of the role of Uganda’s

troops in South Sudan in January, finding a justification in the region’s interlocking linguistic, ethnic, political and economic relationships.

At a meeting in Angola of the International Conference on the Great Lakes

Region, Museveni described the region’s problems as ideological and organisational but criticised politicians for lacking discipline: “The

manipulation of tribes and religions is a pseudo ideology – is a false

ideology – not reflecting the interests of the people but hose of the opportunists and parasites spurred on by foreign interests.”

Arguing for the interdependence of the region, he continued: “With the

conflicts in eastern [Democratic Republic of ] Congo and South Sudan, the food prices in Uganda have collapsed to the detriment of the farmers that

were getting used to the higher prices because of the bigger demand in the region.”

However, Uganda’s neighbours worry about the risks of the South Sudan conflict spreading and undermining regional integration. “If violence

continues and escalates, we don’t want proxy militias acting on behalf of individual countries. That’s our main fear at the moment,” says a Kenyan

diplomat in Nairobi who requested anonymity. He refers to the risk that Khartoum’s Islamist regime might exploit the South Sudan crisis for its

own ends. It was that risk that partly motivated Kampala’s intervention. The individual power plays within the region are a threat to the East

African integration project. Last year, Tanzania’s President Jakaya Kikwete urged dialogue between Kagame and the rebels in the Forces

Démocratiques de Libération du Rwanda, precipitating a cold war within the EAC. Frustrated by Tanzania’s hesitancy to fast-track regional

integration, Rwanda, Uganda and Kenya formed a ‘coalition of the willing’

that briefly threatened to break up the EAC. Uganda’s intervention in South Sudan and Ethiopia’s increasing impatience with Museveni’s

intransigence on troop withdrawal are exposing similar fault lines.

Of proxies and brokers: “A split within IGAD is problematic. Kenya is desperately holding on to an honest broker position. We have refused to

be a proxy for foreign powers in this conflict. It’s a major shift in our

regional diplomatic orientation,” says the Kenyan diplomat, who is eager to shake off his country’s role as a Western client state. Museveni has

been strengthened by Uganda’s intervention and its close relations with

the factions of the ruling Sudan People’s Liberation Army according to an analyst in Kampala, who adds: “Meles [Zenawi] is gone; Gaddafi and

Mubarak are gone; Obasanjo and Mbeki are gone. When Museveni now looks across the political landscape he only sees one potentate… himself.”

Other diplomats argue that Uganda’s speedy intervention prevented much

worse bloodletting in South Sudan: “If Museveni had not gone in when he did, it would be Salva in the bush right now. That was the difference.” Is

the region, after a decade of peace and relative stability, staring at a possible return to a chaotic past? It is not an easy question to answer,

says Martin Kimani, Kenya’s ambassador to the United Nations in Nairobi

and the government’s point man in the South Sudan crisis. “This crisis actually gives South Sudan the opportunity to rebuild itself in its own

image,” says Kimani. The crisis also represents the end of the road for the West’s state-building project in the South financed by billions of aid

dollars.

A successful resolution of the crisis would be a victory for regional diplomacy. “What you are seeing today, regardless of the differences, is a

strong consensus within the region to sort out our own issues. There is no leader in the region that has proclaimed any support for a violent takeover

in Juba. That is a major achievement,” says Kimani. (Text ends)

April 22, 2014: ALJAZZERA NEWS: South Sudan rebel leader rejects

massacre claims’

Rebel commander Riek Machar says his forces were not behind the killing of hundreds in the contested town of Bentiu

South Sudan's rebel commander Riek Machar has said his forces were not behind the massacre of hundreds of people in the contested town of

Bentiu. The UN has accused them of killing more than 200 people in one mosque alone after driving government forces from the town last

week. Video shot by Al Jazeera shows bodies littering the streets of the town and the inside of the mosque.

Riek Machar, who was dismissed as vice president by President Salva Kiir in July 2013, told Al Jazeera on Tuesday that his rebels would not kill their

own people. "I contacted the field military commander in Bentiu who told me that such accusation is false. First of all we respect our people, and

the majority of the forces are from the region and we can't kill our citizens," Machar said.

Al Jazeera's Anna Cavell, who travelled to Bentiu, said the conflict in

South Sudan had taken on a new ethnic dimension. She said many people at a United Nations base in Bentiu, the capital of oil-producing Unity

state, were reluctant to speak to journalists for fear of reprisals. "Different

groups from the Dinka and Nuer of South Sudan as well as Darfuris and

Misseriya Arabs from Sudan live in Bentiu, so the conflict has now taken on an ethnic dimension, and people are now looking at their neighbours

very differently."

UN investigators said that hundreds of civilians were killed because of

their ethnicity after rebel forces seized the town last week. The UN Mission in South Sudan condemned what it called "the targeted killings of civilians

based on their ethnic origins and nationality''. Thousands of people in South Sudan have been killed in violence and more than one million

people have been forced to leave their homes since December when pro-Kiir troops and those loyal to Machar began to fight along ethnic lines

after Machar was accused by Kiir of a failed coup.

Toby Lanzer, the UN's representative, told Al Jazeera on Monday that

people "associated with the opposition" had used an FM radio station to broadcast hate speech in the town. "With hate speech and violence

continuing as they are, we're going to have an even greater catastrophe on our hands at the end of this year," he said. "I think the saddest

testament to the current situation is that we have had members of all communities, even those accused of perpetrating these crimes, fleeing to

the UN base." "We had 5,000 civilians a week ago in our base, now we have 22,000. We have just one litre of portable water per person for

today. It is hard to believe that just a few months ago South Sudan was at peace." South Sudan's foreign minister, Barnaba Marial Benjamin, told

Al Jazeera on Tuesday that he believed Machar's rebels were responsible

for the Bentiu killings. "These are his rebels. He has said .. his forces are in control so he has to answer for it", said Benjamin. (Text ends)

April 26, 2014: ALJAZEERA NEWS - South Sudan frees alleged rebel

leaders’

Move seen as boost to peace talks but justice minister says charges

against ex-vice president Riek Machar still stand.

South Sudan has released four top leaders accused of rebellion and treason, dropping charges for attempting to overthrow the government in

a move aimed at ending a four-month-old civil war.

A court order issued on Friday said the men were released "in order to

promote peace and reconciliation among our people". An AFP reporter at the court said the four men were greeted by cheering supporters, who

lifted them up onto their shoulders into the crowd. "We were imprisoned without any reason," said detainee Pagan Amum, the former secretary

general of the governing Sudan Peoples Liberation Movement (SPLM).

The court order made no mention of former vice president Riek Machar, the chief rebel leader, whom Justice Minister Paulion Wanawilla said on

Thursday still had charges to answer. Machar fled Juba, the capital, last December and is continuing to lead the rebellion. In a speech thanking his

supporters, Amum said he would work to end the conflict.

"We have to return South Sudan to peace and stability," Amum said,

adding he would work with both the government and rebels "to end this senseless war that is killing our people". The detention of the four had

been a major sticking point in peace talks, and the gesture comes as the

leaders on both sides of the conflict face the threat of UN sanctions amid worsening violence and atrocities.

In a strongly-worded statement, the 15 members of the Security Council

"expressed horror and anger" over the killings of hundreds of people last week in the oil town of Bentiu - ethnic slaughter which UN officials have

blamed on rebels. The three other freed detainees are former national security minister Oyai Deng Ajak, ex-ambassador to the US Ezekiel Lol

Gatkuoth, and former deputy defence minister Majak D'Agoot. "We feel that our clients have been vindicated, they are innocent people," defence

lawyer Monyluak Alor told AFP after the ruling. "They were witch hunted,

but then justice has prevailed ... peace and reconciliation are paramount now."

'Genocidal leader' The four leaders were arrested in Juba after fighting

broke out between members of the presidential guard. The fighting rapidly escalated into all-out war between troops loyal to President Salva Kiir and

defectors and ethnic militia loyal to sacked vice president Machar. Kiir accused Machar and his allies of attempting a coup, and initially 11 of his

loyalists were put on trial. Machar denied the allegation, and in turn branded Kiir a "genocidal leader" who started the war by carrying out a

purge.

Charges remain against Machar, as well as other two key rebels, former

governor of the oil-rich Unity state Taban Deng, and ex-minister Alfred Ladu Gore. Charges were also dropped against seven leaders who were

arrested shortly after fighting broke out but released in January into the care of neighbouring Kenya. The move comes amid worsening violence in

South Sudan, the world's newest nation which only won independence from Khartoum in 2011.

The conflict has already left thousands dead, over a million displaced, and prompted UN warnings of the risk of famine. Both sides have also been

implicated in atrocities and war crimes, and fighting has intensified with the rebels saying they are closing in on northern oil fields and several key

towns. Last week, the rebels were accused of murdering hundreds of civilians after capturing the oil hub of Bentiu, and a mob killed dozens of

civilians in an attack on a UN base in Bor where they were sheltering. (Text ends)

March 31, 2014: Defections to the rebels continue to plague the South Sudanese Army (Sudan Peoples Liberation Army, SPLA). A group of

officers in Western Bahr al Ghazal state (some identified as senior officers, which usually means generals and colonels), help a public conference to

announce their defection. The event took place in the town of Farajallaj.

The officers said that they supported former vice-president Reik Machar

and that he was leading a revolt against a corrupt tyranny.

April 1, 2014: The South Sudan government claimed that its forces had

defeated an attack on the town of Malakal (Upper Nile state) and that pro-government forces were in control of the area.

April 5, 2014: The U.S. government announced that it will impose

economic and political sanctions on any individual or country that aggravates the conflict in South Sudan. Aggravation includes attacking UN

peacekeeping forces and committing human rights abuses.

April 9, 2014: The UN reported that new violence in South Sudan has

displaced 803,000 people within the country. Another 255,000 have fled to neighboring countries (Ethiopia primarily).

April 15, 2014: The World Food Program (WFP) believes the security

situation in South Sudan has limited its ability to supply food to starving

people. The WFP claimed that supplying “deep field” locations in South Sudan was extremely risky and that a “food catastrophe” for displaced

persons, Sudanese (north Sudan) refugees in camps in South Sudan and a new surge of people fleeing violence in South Sudan could occur. The WFP

recently estimated that 3.7 million people could starve unless the security the situation improves. This may be a conservative figure-other sources

estimate four million refugees and displaced persons in South Sudan depend on WFP-supplied food in order to survive.

South Sudan government troops in Malakal (capital of Upper Nile state

capital) reported that they fought a battle with rebels in Doleib Hill (15

kilometers south of Malakal).

The South Sudanese Army (SPLA) claimed that it had defeated rebel attack on the town of Renk (Upper Nile state). SPLA officers said that

rebel fighters attacked Renk on the afternoon of April 16. The rebels struck SPLA positions on the southwestern edge of the town. The battle

lasted until late in the night. Renk is about 30 kilometers south of the Sudan-South Sudan border.

Mass murder in South Sudan is a two way street. Members of a Dinka tribal youth group attacked and killed 58 rebel supporters (that is, Nuer

tribesmen) who were seeking shelter near the UN compound in the South Sudan town of Bor (capital of Jonglei state). The attackers ignored

warnings from UN peacekeepers, to include warning shots fired in the air. The UN later said that 48 people were slain and over 100 were

wounded. A medical air group later reported that UN peacekeepers killed ten of the attackers. This report is unconfirmed. Around 5,000 refugees

were living outside the UN camp at Bor.

April 17, 2014: The Nuer White Army has apparently committed a large-

scale massacre. On April 15 and 16 White Army militiamen in the town of Bentiu (Unity state) went on a rampage and killed at least 200 (and

possibly up to 400) people the militiamen suspected of supporting the

South Sudan government. Bentiu is in an oil producing region.

The South Sudan government reported that Ugandan Army units had

secured the UN camp in the city of Bor (Jonglei state).

The UN claimed that four barges belonging to the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) was attacked on the Nile River outside of the

town of Malakal (Upper Nile state). Four UN personnel were wounded as the attackers fired on the barges with automatic weapons and rocket-

proelled grenades. The barges were carrying supplies for the UN garrison

in Malakal.

April 24, 2014: Uganda accused Sudan of providing the Lords Resistance Army (LRA) with supplies. Uganda intends to present evidence of Sudan’s

activity in several international forums. On April 17 Sudan withdrew its ambassador to Uganda, after alleging that Uganda was protecting anti-

Sudan rebels.

April 25, 2014: A clash between military trainees and soldiers in Bentiu

(Unity state) left five trainees dead. All of the trainees were members of the Nuer tribe.

Rebels insist that the government has not retaken the town of Mayom

(Unity state) and claim that government forces retreated from the town on April 22. The rebels insisted they control the town and that they be

identified as the Sudan Peoples Liberation Movement-in-Opposition.

The Sudan National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) is deploying

additional militia support forces to South Kordofan state. Sudan intends to defeat the rebel forces in North and South Kordofan states.

April 26, 2014: The UN announced that it has moved 490 civilian staff

personnel from South Sudan’s capital, Juba, to Kampala, Uganda.

April 27, 2014: Starting last night there was gunfire and explosions in the

town of Wau (capital of Western Bahr al Ghazal state). The government dismissed reports that several senior officers had defected with their

soldiers to the rebels. However, an opposition political leader claimed that a large group of soldiers, including the soldiers assigned to protect the

state governor, had defected and had gathered in a village west of Wau. Rebels also alleged that SPLA trainees who survived an attack on

April 25 had sought protection at a UN base camp in Wau.

April 28, 2014: Mass defections continue to plague South Sudan

forces. Members of several minority tribes in South Sudan (which means they are not Dinka or Nuer) are concerned that the SPLA has been

involved in ethnic massacres-and it has been involved in several. Here is the thinking among the various minorities: if it can happen to Nuers, it

can happen to anyone. The month of March proved to be a big month for defections to the rebels. Now it appears May may be as well. The

government is also sensitive to charges of corruption. Theft is bad.

However, tribal cronyism (favoring the tribe in power) may prove to be

fatal.

April 30, 2014: SOUTH SUDAN - From Civil war to Ethnic Conflagration’

From the outset, South Sudan was a fragile construction, despite support

from the international community, US sponsorship and substantial oil resources. The leaders of the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA)

former rebel movement were completely unprepared to run an independent State. Their considerable popular support stemmed mainly

from the relief the southern peoples felt that the decades of deadly war

with the Khartoum regime had finally come to an end. But constructing a nation simply on the basis of being separate from Northern Sudan did not

provide the new State with a clear national identity. Consequently, the power struggle between president Salva Kiir Myardit (a member of the

Dinka ethnic group) and his number two, the Nuer Riek Machar, fanned by the oil resource, plunged South Sudan into a civil war that could at any

moment degenerate into a long-term inter-ethnic conflict.

May 3, 2014: The UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS, UN peacekeeping operation in South Sudan) accused South Sudanese rebels of massacring

200 civilians in the town of Bentiu. Rebel forces seized the town in late

April.

South Sudan claimed its forces captured the town of Nasir (Upper Nile state). The government also claimed its forces control the state capital,

Bentiu, A rebel commander in Unity state claimed that Sudanese rebel groups assisted the South Sudan government forces in the attack. The

rebels claimed that fighters belonging to the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) and Sudan Peoples Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N)

participated in the attack on Bentiu.

May 4, 2014: Sudan diplomats succeeded in derailing a UN Security

Council attempt to condemn Sudan’s militia force, the rapid Support Force (RSF). The RSF is what the Sudanese government now calls the notorious

Janjaweed militias which savaged Darfur. The RSF is commanded by Sudan’s National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS).

May 5, 2014: South Sudan signed an agreement with rebels which will

permit aid groups to supply refugees with humanitarian aid and provide

security for civilians who are planting crops. Meanwhile, heavy clashes between government and rebel forces continued around the town of

Bentiu.

May 6, 2014: Minority tribes in South Sudan are expressing concern about future power-sharing deals between the Dinka and Nuer tribes. There are

around 60 minority tribes in the country and they do not want to be marginalized by a Dinka-Nuer agreement to divide government power

between the two major tribes.

May 7, 2014: Rebels in Sudan accused the Sudanese Air Force of

bombing a civilian hospital in the Nuba Mountains. Su-25 light bombers and An-24 transports rigged as bombers were seen attacking.

Meanwhile, South Sudan and rebel group, SSDM/A-CF (South Sudan Democratic Movement/Army-Cobra Faction) finalized their previously

announced peace deal. The signing ceremony was held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

May 9, 2014: South Sudan's Kiir and Machar meet in Ethiopia’

South Sudan's President Salva Kiir and rebel leader Riek Machar are meeting for the first time since mass violence began in December. The

meeting is being held in Addis Ababa, and both men first held separate talks with Ethiopia's prime minister. The conflict in the world's newest

state has left thousands dead and more than one million homeless. The UN has accused both sides of crimes against humanity, including mass

killings, sexual slavery and gang-rape. "Widespread and systematic" atrocities were carried out in homes, hospitals, mosques, churches and UN

compounds, a UN report said on Thursday, calling for those responsible to be held accountable. An estimated five million people are in need of aid,

the UN says. A cessation of hostilities deal was signed by both sides in

January but failed to bring an end to the violence. A 30-day truce was supposed to have taken effect on Wednesday.

Step forward; The US has said it is not optimistic that Friday's one-day

talks will produce an immediate result. Mr Machar arrived on Thursday in preparation for the talks in Addis Ababa, while President Kiir flew in on

Friday. Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn agreed to mediate the talks proposed by US Secretary of State John Kerry after his visit to

the region last week. Discussions are expected to centre on ending the fighting and power sharing. South Sudan ministers have said the

government's priority is to stop the violence and discuss a "transitional

process".

However, Foreign Minister Barnaba Marial Benjamin was quoted by Reuters news agency as saying that a transitional government would not

be discussed, and that Mr Kiir would remain leader until the 2015 elections. The release of and dropping of treason charges against four top

South Sudanese politicians is said to have paved the way for talks. The men's release had been a key demand of the rebels. "I don't believe that

[the two sides] will reach an agreement straight away," US Ambassador to South Sudan Susan Page said during a radio call-in show. "But if they can

agree on a broad-based process on how to resolve the conflict, end the

fighting, that would be a step forward."

Sanctions threat: Ms Page said that people wanted peace and could not understand why the country should have descended into war barely three

years since independence. Correspondents say far-reaching international sanctions could be imposed against both sides if there is no discernible

progress in reaching an agreement. The violence began when President

Kiir accused his sacked deputy Mr Machar, of plotting a coup. Mr Machar denied the allegation, but then marshalled a rebel army to fight the

government. The battle assumed ethnic overtones, with Mr Machar

relying heavily on fighters from his Nuer ethnic group and Mr Kiir from his Dinka community. The UN has about 8,500 peacekeepers in South Sudan,

which became the world's newest state after seceding from Sudan in 2011. However, they have struggled to contain the conflict, and the

government has accused the UN mission of siding with the rebels. It denies the allegation. South Sudan gained independence in 2011,

breaking way from Sudan after decades of conflict between rebels and the Khartoum government. It remains one of the world's poorest countries.

South Sudan and the rebels have agreed to implement a ceasefire. The

leaders of the government and rebels met face to face in Ethiopia to work

it all out. The European Union, the African Union, the U.S. and Ethiopia sponsored the meeting. Government and rebel leaders also discussed

holding new elections in 2015. However, they did not discuss creating an interim government.

The South Sudan Conflict – Facts & Stats’

Fighting erupted in the South Sudan capital, Juba, in mid-December. It followed a political power struggle between President Salva Kiir and his

ex-deputy Riek Machar. The squabble has taken on an ethnic dimension as politicians' political bases are often ethnic.

States affected by violence

817, 700 Internally displaced people

Estimated, total likely to be higher

May 10, 2014: South Sudan leaders reach cease-fire; US approval’

WASHINGTON (AP) — South Sudan's president has reached a cease-fire

agreement with a rebel leader, an African regional bloc said Friday, after a vicious cycle of revenge killings drew international alarm. The deal means

"an immediate cessation of hostilities within 24 hours of the signing" and "unhindered humanitarian access" to all people affected by the months-

long conflict, said a statement by the political bloc known as IGAD, which is mediating the conflict.

Ethnically targeted violence in the world's youngest country broke out in December, killing thousands of people and forcing more than 1.3 million

to flee their homes. The U.N. Security Council has expressed "horror" at recent killings of civilians. U.S. National Security Adviser Susan Rice

welcomed the peace agreement in a statement, saying it "holds the promise of bringing the crisis to an end."

A cease-fire in January between South Sudan President Salva Kiir and

rebel leader Riek Machar fell apart within days. Rice urged that Kiir and

Machar follow up on the new peace deal signed in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia,

by "ending the violence and negotiating in good faith to reach a political agreement." A statement by the spokesman for U.N. Secretary-General

Ban Ki-moon demanded that both sides "immediately translate these

commitments into action on the ground."

Friday's meeting in Addis Ababa was the first face-to-face encounter between Kiir and Machar since the mass violence began, and it came a

week after U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry met with Kiir to urge a revitalization of peace talks. "This bleeding will stop," Kiir said at the

signing Friday. "Nobody will again open fire on another person." "I hope the other side will be serious," Machar said. Kiir and Machar have agreed

to establish a "transitional government of national unity" that will lead to new elections, the IGAD statement said. The two also agreed to meet

again in a month, while IGAD leads talks on the terms of the transition.

"We look forward to the next summit which we hope will further solidify

today's gains," Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, who has helped with the talks, said in a statement he tweeted late Friday. The South Sudan

deal comes after weeks of growing international concern. The U.N. secretary-general said during a visit to South Sudan this week that the

country has seen serious human rights violations. A new U.N. report said gross violations of human rights and international humanitarian law have

been committed. Much of the violence has been ethnic in nature and carried out by troops loyal to Kiir, an ethnic Dinka, and rebels loyal to

former Vice President Machar, an ethnic Nuer.

International pressure had been growing for at least a brief cease-fire to

allow residents to plant their fields, with the U.N. and aid groups warning that if crops aren't planted this month, the country could face mass

hunger or famine. Tens of thousands of civilians already have been taking refuge in U.N. compounds across the country for months. The Security

Council in recent days discussed sanctions, an arms embargo and a referral of the South Sudan situation to the International Criminal Court as

ways to apply pressure on the warring sides. South Sudan is a largely Christian nation that broke off from the Muslim-dominated Sudan after a

2011 referendum. The fighting is an embarrassment to the U.S., which

has provided hundreds of millions of dollars in aid and has been its strongest international champion. (Text ends)

May 11, 2014: The UN and the World Food Program want the South

Sudan government and rebel forces to follow through on promises to permit aid groups to provide humanitarian assistance to refugees and

civilians facing starvation. The situation in Upper Nile state is particularly dire with some 125,000 refugees at risk of starving. The government and

rebels claimed they agreed to allow food and other aid to move through humanitarian corridors. However, fighting continues. The aid groups say

that they do not have the aircraft to fly the food. The food requirements

are large and can only be met using truck convoys.

May 12, 2014: The latest ceasefire agreement in South Sudan appears to

have failed. On May 9 South Sudan president Salva Kiir and rebel leader (and former vice-president) Riek Machar met face to face in Ethiopia and

signed a ceasefire agreement. All combat was to cease within 24 hours.

The leaders made the same announcement in January. The fighting did not stop in January and it has not stopped in May. One South Sudan

commander said rebels attacked one of his units in Unity state on May 10 th . This was after the ceasefire was scheduled to begin. UN observers in

the town of Bentiu (capital of Unity state) reported a post-ceasefire deadline firefight between government and rebel forces and blamed both

sides. Fighting in Bentiu continued on May 11. Meanwhile, rebels in Upper Nile state accused government troops of shelling rebel positions with

artillery on May 11th.

May 12, 2014: SOUTH SUDAN: Ethiopia ‘threatened to jail Riek and Kiir’ to

secure ceasefire’

Radio Tamazuj - Hailemariam Desalegn, the Prime Minister of Ethiopia, threatened to detain South Sudanese rebel leader Riek Machar and even

the President of South Sudan Salva Kiir in order to pressure them into signing a ceasefire, the latter has claimed. Although Kiir described the

threat against himself as a joke, he implied that the intimidation of Riek Machar had been real. Kiir and Machar were both treated as honored

guests during their stay at the Sheraton Hotel in Addis Ababa last Friday – but also were put under a great deal of pressure. “You will not leave

here,” the Ethiopian leader is reported to have said to South Sudanese

rebel leader Riek Machar, and to Kiir, “I will imprison you here.” Regardless of whether Hailemariam did or did not directly threaten

Machar, it is clear that he has significant leverage over the rebel leader given the long border between Ethiopia and South Sudanese territory

controlled by Machar’s fighters. These revelations were made by Kiir during an address to a crowd at Juba Airport upon his return to the

country yesterday afternoon. He recounted the terms of what was agreed at the Friday summit as well as the discussions that led to the deal.

You will agree to this today: “When I arrived to Addis Ababa we did not sit

with Riek Machar to discuss peace. He was staying in his room and I was

also in my room. Riek Machar did not want to talk to me nor did he want a peace agreement,” explained the president. “So he was on his own, and

me also, and the mediators started to go back and forth between us. They went to Riek, and listened to him, then came back to me, took what I had

to say and went back to Riek.” “What happened was that the Prime Minister of Ethiopia talked to me, and he said, ‘Since you’ve come, you

have to sign (today) for a ceasefire – not tomorrow – in order to stop the death happening in the field.’” “I told him, ‘I am ready. If the other side is

also ready, then I am ready.’ He said, ‘That is good, I am going to Riek.’” Kiir continued to narrate the events of 9 May, explaining that the

Ethiopian leader discussed the proposal at length with Riek Machar but the latter “was not ready and wanted seven days in order to consult with his

people.” “The Prime Minister supposedly said, ‘I will not even give you one

day, let alone seven days. I will not even give you one day,’” reported Kiir. Sometime in the afternoon or perhaps early evening Riek Machar

went back to his hotel either to consult with his negotiating team or to

make phone contact with other rebel leaders in his movement. Kiir stated that at this point he had another conversation with the Ethiopian leader,

urging Hailemariam to keep pushing on the matter.

There were threats in the next round: “When he went into the next round, there were threats over it. The Prime Minister said to Riek, “You

will not leave here, if you do not agree to this. Nobody will leave from here,” stated Kiir. “And he had said the same thing to me in the morning.

He said to me, ‘If you do not agree on this issue, I will imprison you here.’” “I said to him, ‘If you imprison me here I’m sure I’d get good food.

So there would be no benefit of returning to Juba. I will stay here with

you.’” The president also referred to the signing ceremony, which was the first time the two men came face-to-face since December. He

acknowledged that he did not want to shake hands with Riek Machar, but finally did so at the urging of Hailemariam. Friday’s face-to-face meeting

between the two South Sudanese leaders was arranged by Ethiopian, European and US diplomats, including US Secretary of State John Kerry.

The latter just days before the meeting named Kiir’s top guard commander and Machar’s top general to a list for targeted economic

sanctions, describing the move as only a first step, with sanctions against more individuals to be announced later.

SOUTH SUDAN: We signed peace deal under duress, President K iirclaims’

By MABIOR MACH, NATION CORRESPONDENT IN JUBA (May 12, 2014)

DAILY NATION JUBA - South Sudan President Salva Kiir has claimed that he and former vice president turned rebel leader Dr Riek Machar signed a

peace deal Friday in Addis Ababa to avoid threats of arrest by Ethiopian

Prime Minister Hailemariam Dessalegn. The truce, which has so far been violated, was intended to end five months of deadly violence in which both

sides have been accused of widespread human rights abuse.

Mr Kiir said after a lengthy meeting with Mr Machar, that Prime Minister Dessalegn came to him to say the problem had become so tough. “This

matter has involved threats. He (PM) told Riek that you are not going if you don’t sign this,” Mr Kiir said, referring to a proposed peace deal.

“He told me the same in the morning. He told me that ‘if you don’t sign this, I will arrest you here’,” Mr Kiir told a crowd at Juba International

airport upon his arrival in the country on Sunday. “I said ‘if you arrest me in this good place, I am sure I will get good food. So there will be no need

to return to Juba. You will feed me for free here,” he said.

He said the PM gave Mr Machar copies of the proposed peace deal, which he signed. He said he asked for time to present them to his negotiation

team before signing. Mr Machar's spokesman had earlier denied any face

to face talks between the two principals as earlier demanded by the

United States secretary of state John Kerry.

South Sudan descended into chaos after a failed December 15 coup which

President Kiir claimed was organised by Mr Machar. Mr Machar denied the claims but quickly mobilised a rebellion. The war has claimed thousands of

lives and more than 1.2 million people forced to flee their homes. The Kiir-Machar peace deal was the latest attempt to bring an end to the

bloodshed.

The deal included humanitarian access corridors and the formation of a

transitional government to run the country on an agreed upon program until the elections. But two days after the signing, army spokesman

accused rebels of violating the truce. The rebels denied that they first attacked the government positions, but insisted that the army had

attacked them in several fronts. nation.co.ke could not independently verify the claims. (Text ends)

June 15, 2014: A Chinese oil company operating in Sudan’s West

Kordofan state has begun testing personnel for possible exposure to radiation. An oil exploration device which uses a radioactive material was

improperly stored at a field location and up to 70 workers may have been

exposed. The Chinese government is trying to determine how much radiation the workers received. Very dangerous accidents like this are one

of the numerous risks faced by companies and their employees working in danger zones around the world. However, sub-Saharan Africa has more

than its share of environmental and security challenges. As Mao becomes a distant memory, China has encountered increased criticism for its

"natural resource imperialism" in sub-Saharan Africa. Beijing, however, long ago concluded that the pay-off in access to natural resources still

outweighs the political price. China imports substantial amounts of South Sudanese and Sudanese oil. Chinese companies are actively involved in oil

exploration and oil production in both Sudans. (Austin Bay)

South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir writes protest letter to Ethiopian PM for

being called “stupid” June 17, 2014 (JUBA) – South Sudanese president Salva Kiir has written to the East African regional bloc (IGAD) demanding

an apology over remarks allegedly made by one of its officials. The letter, foreign affairs minister Benjamin Marial said, was delivered by a

government minister to Ethiopia’s prime minister, Hailemariam Desalegn, who is the current IGAD chairperson. IGAD’s executive secretary Mahboub

Maalim allegedly described president Kiir and rebel leader Riek Machar as “stupid” for pursuing military means instead of peace talks the ongoing

conflict.

Marial said statements attributed to Mahboub was “unfortunate”, given

the regional body’s mediation role. “The government, specially our president, has sent an envoy to with a letter to prime minister of Ethipia

with regards to the unfortunate statement which was said by executive secretary of the IGAD in the press,” Marial told reporters in Juba Tuesday.

He declined to further reveal the content of the letter or what the

government expected in response. The presidential spokesperson, Ateny Wek Ateny, however, said that the government needed an apology. “It is

clear that [IGAD Executive Secretary] Mahboub has insulted the Head of

State and what we wan is an apology,” Ateny told Sudan Tribune Tuesday.

The peace talks between government and opposition led by Machar has been postponed as government delegation demanded response from

IGAD. South Sudan’s information minister, Michael Makuei told the SSTV on Monday the IGAD official’s comment was “inappropriate” and put to

question the mediators’ abilities to over see the talks. Meanwhile, cabinet affairs minister, Elias Lomoro said Mahboub visited Juba on Monday, but

was denied access to meet president Kiir over comment he allegedly uttered. (Text ends)

June 18, 2014: Angry policemen in Jonglei state protested the South Sudan government’s decision to pay them a single month’s salary even

though they are owned two months pay. In addition to police in Jonglei state, personnel in wildlife protection units and prison guards in the state

have not been paid for two months. In the city of Bor, a disgruntled prison guard fired at several Sudan Peoples Liberation Army officers to

demonstrate his anger. The unpaid security personnel claimed that senior police commanders had stolen pay money by having “ghost policemen” on

their payrolls. In 2013, a South Sudan government audit found that at least 11,000 ghosts (non-existent police officers) were drawing pay.

June 19, 2014: South Sudan insists it is fully committed to implementing the new peace agreement and ending the civil war. However the current

South Sudan president inists that he must be president of any transitional government since he is the country’s duly elected president.

Aid groups complain that a temporary refugee camp near the UN base at

Bentiu (capital of South Sudan’s Unity state) is rapidly

deteriorating. Around 45,000 people are in the makeshift camp around the UN base. They are relying on UN peacekeepers to protect them from

civil war-related tribal violence. Over 100 children have died in the camp since the end of April. Malnutrition, pneumonia and diarrhea plague the

camp.

June 20, 2014: The U.S. government condemned air attacks by the Sudanese Air Force on civilian targets in South Kordofan state. The U.S.

believes that on June 16 Sudanese forces struck a hospital run by an international medical aid group in the town of Farandella. Several civilians

were wounded in the attack, including medical staff members.

June 21, 2014: Ngok Dinka tribal leaders in the disputed Abyei region

rejected a UN resolution which calls for a new joint administrative organization to run the area. The Dinka want UN peacekeepers to keep

the peace. They distrust joint security forces involving Sudanese

government security forces. In May the UN Security council renewed the

UNISFA peacekeeping mandate for Abyei.

Representatives of the South Sudan government and South Sudanese

rebels ended their mutual boycott of negotiations and held a day-long session. However, both sides said that they had made no progress on

forming an interim government. The latest peace agreement stipulates that the sides form a transitional government implement a ceasefire by

August 10.

June 23, 2014: A Sudanese court has ordered that a Sudanese Christian

woman sentenced to death for apostasy be released from prison and her death sentence canceled (annulled). The 27 year old woman had a Muslim

father and a Christian mother. When she married a Christian man and became a Christian the Sudanese government charged her with apostasy.

Sudan is an Islamic republic and its criminal code forbids conversion from Islam to another religious faith.

June 26, 2014: The upper chamber of South Sudan’s parliament ratified

the peace agreement between the government and Jonglei-state-based rebel group (SSDM/A Cobra faction). The agreement establishes the

Greater Pibor Administrative Area (GPAA) in Jonglei state’s Pibor and

Pochalla counties. The agreement is an attempt to give local tribes more authority. Three tribes in the area, the Murle, Anyauk and Kachipo,

support the GPAA. Another local tribe, the Jie tribe, has told the government it does not fully support the GPAA arrangement.

June 27, 2014: The president of Sudan, Omar al-Bashir, once again told

opposition political parties that they cannot ally with the rebel Sudanese Revolutionary Front (SRF). The SRF is an umbrella organization

representing Sudan’s major armed rebel movements. The SPLM-N and the Darfur rebel Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) are key members of the

SRF. Bashir called the SRF a group of traitors. Bashir warned his political

opponents that he regards contact with the SRF as a “red line” that will negatively affect national elections scheduled for 2015.

June 28, 2014: Sudan Peoples Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N)

rebels attacked a Sudanese Army position near the town of Alatmor (South Kordofan state, east of the state capital Kadugli) and claimed they

destroyed a T-55 tank and a half-dozen other vehicles as well as killing 15 Sudanese soldiers. Sudanese government security forces, including

personnel from the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia, seized Alatmor on June 6. The SPLM-N also claimed that its forces shelled Kadugli.

June 29, 2014: Sudan’s governor of North Darfur state claimed that government security forces killed Ali Karbino, the leader of the rebel

Sudan Liberation Movement for Justice (SLMJ) and a dozen SLMJ fighters on June 27. The government delayed the announcement in order to

confirm Karbino’s death. According to the Sudanese government, Karbino’s force, mounted on wheeled vehicles armed with heavy infantry

weapons (machine guns, grenade launchers), attacked the village of

Alquba (north of the town of Kutum). A Sudanese Army unit was in the town working with Border Guards militia and local security forces. The

Sudanese forces defeated the attack and captured over 30 vehicles and 15

SLMJ fighters. A group of nomadic herders contradicted the government story, after a fashion. According to the nomads, the government force

actually attacked the SLMJ fighters. The herders had complained to the government forces that the SLMJ fighters had attacked them, killed ten

members of their tribe, and stolen several camels.

June 30, 2013: Recent Sudanese attacks in South Kordofan state are being called war crimes. In particular Sudanese Air Force attacks on the

town of Tangal (from May 15 to May 22) and on the town of Kauda (May 26 and May 28) were horrific. Sudanese forces dropped over 200 bombs

on Tangal alone and nearly all the victims were civilians. Meanwhile,

Sudan’s military and para-military forces are continuing what the government calls a decisive summer offensive against Sudan Peoples

Liberation Movement-North rebels in South Kordofan and Blue Nile states.

July 1, 2014: The South Sudan rebels are accused of deliberately kidnapping the pilot of an aircraft delivering relief supplies to Jonglei state

on June 2nd and demanding $1.5 million for the return of the pilot and his aircraft. The rebels claim the pilot was involved in a plot to assassinate

one of their leaders. The aid agency that hired the pilot call this absurd and simply a cover for a criminal scheme. Other aid groups demand better

protection for the 22 medical facilities they are operating. In the last

month various armed groups have attacked some of these facilities, destroying some of them and killing 58 patients (apparently gunmen from

opposing groups).

SOUTH SUDAN: Hospitals In Hell’

JUBA (JULY 1, 2014) For months now Médecins Sans Frontières has faced

the most appalling difficulties in bringing health care to the people of South Sudan. Today they reveal that since the fighting between rebels

and government forces erupted in December, at least 58 people have been killed on hospital grounds. Hospitals have been destroyed on at least

six occasions. The photographs alone tell the story. Just one of the hospitals, at Leer, was the only facility for more than a quarter of a million

people.

Pervasive Violence Against Healthcare: Violence in hospitals and the destruction of health facilities are denying medical care to many of South

Sudan’s most vulnerable people, Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors

Without Borders (MSF) said today in a new report*.

Since armed conflict erupted in South Sudan in December, at least 58 people have been killed on hospital grounds, and hospitals were ransacked

or burnt on at least six occasions, MSF said. These figures are not

comprehensive, only representing the best of MSF’s knowledge about

incidents in areas where the organisation has or is currently working.

“The conflict has at times seen horrific levels of violence, including against

healthcare facilities,” said Raphael Gorgeu, MSF head of mission. “Patients have been shot in their beds, and lifesaving medical facilities have been

burned and destroyed. These attacks have far-reaching consequences for hundreds of thousands of people who are cut off from medical care.”

The aim of the report is to encourage dialogue and raise awareness about

the impact of the crisis on the provision of medical care, and encourage

positive change towards ensuring safe access to healthcare for the people of South Sudan.

Hospitals have been ransacked in the towns of Bor, Malakal, Bentiu, Nasir

and Leer, often during periods of heavy fighting. The damage goes far beyond the acts of violence themselves as vulnerable people are cut off

from healthcare when they desperately need it.

Leer hospital served 270,000 people: For example, MSF’s hospital in Leer,

southern Unity state, was destroyed along with most of town in late January and early February. It was the only facility providing secondary

healthcare, including surgery and treatment for HIV and tuberculosis, in an area with approximately 270,000 people. Entire buildings were reduced

to ash, and equipment needed for surgery, the storage of vaccines, blood transfusions and laboratory work were destroyed.

In May, MSF resumed some activities as people started to return to Leer.

Staff members treated more than 1,600 children for malnutrition in the

first three weeks alone. However, the organisation is unable to offer anything like the services it used to, such as routine vaccinations and

emergency surgeries.

“Unfortunately, because of this crisis we lost track of many of our patients, some of whom may have died if they could not access ongoing

treatment,” said Dr. Muhammed Shoaib, MSF medical coordinator. “Now, we are back and treating some patients, but can only offer a fraction of

our previous services. There are no options at all for surgery in the whole of southern Unity state, for example.”

South Sudan State hospitals have been the sites of some of the worst violence. At Bor State Hospital, 14 patients and one Ministry of Health

staff member were shot dead during violence in December. Fourteen people, including eleven patients shot in their beds, were killed at Malakal

Teaching Hospital in February. At Bentiu State Hospital, at least 28 people were killed in April, including at least one Ministry of Health staff member.

MSF has repeatedly condemned such incidents, which have greatly affected its ability to deliver humanitarian assistance at the time when

people need it most. MSF calls on all parties to the conflict to ensure that all people in South Sudan can seek medical care without fear of violence.

The report is part of MSF’s Medical Care Under Fire project which was

launched in South Sudan in November 2013. The initiative is part of a global project which seeks to better understand the nature of violence that

healthcare providers face in conflict zones, to improve the security of

patients, staff and healthcare facilities. In South Sudan, MSF works with communities, medical and humanitarian actors and authorities at local,

national and international levels to create a safer environment for the provision of medical care.” (Text ends)

July 2, 2014: After agreeing to establish an interim government and then

hold national elections, South Sudan’s government and the rebels have failed to agree on how to form the interim government. South Sudan’s

president Salvaa Kiir insists that there will be no interim government unless he is president. Meanwhile, rebel leader Riek Machar has begun re-

organizing the rebel movement along the lines of a national government.

Machar is appointing senior members of the Sudan Peoples Liberation Movement in Opposition (SPLM/O) to lead what he calls national

committees. SPLM/O is now the official name of the rebel organization. Machar is definitely making a statement about his ability to

form and run a national government. For example, Machar appointed a former South Sudanese general and governor of Unity state as chairman

of his committee for peace and reconciliation. Mabior Garang (a Dinka and son of SPLM founder John Garang) has been designated the leader of the

SPLM/O national committee for information and public relations. The main point of disagreement is not who shall have what job but the rebel

proposal that the constitution be changed and there be a federal form of government (as in the U.S. and India) where the states have a lot of

power. The rebels see this as a long-term solution to the many tribal disputes in South Sudan. The current federal government does not want

to give up a lot of power to federal states.

August 10, 2014: South Sudan’s Kiir offers to appoint Machar second VP’

(ST JUBA) – South Sudanese president, Salva Kiir on Sunday said

opposition leader, Riek Machar could become the country’s second vice-president, if he agrees to join his government.

Speaking at Juba airport on arrival from the United States where he attended the U.S.-Africa Business Forum, Kiir disclosed that the

international community had demanded for the creation of a prime minister’s position, something he opposed.

“They [international community] said what should we do? How do we

bring peace? I said if you want these people to join the government, I can

expand my government and bring people that I want to work with,” said the president. “If Riek Machar wants to be in the government, I can create

for him a position. I will bring Riek to be second vice president after vice president James Wani Igga,” he added.

The South Sudanese leader, however, stressed that Machar was only

capable of succeeding him as president upon winning an election. “If he [Machar] does not want [to be second vice president], let him stay outside

there and wait for the elections. If he defeats me in the election, he will be

the president,” said Kiir as the crowd applauded. Machar, the country’s longest serving vice-president, was sacked in July 2013 after openly

declared his intention to challenge Kiir for the ruling party (SPLM) chairmanship. Several disagreements within the party later culminated

into violence, nearly escalating into full-scale war.

The opposition announced on Saturday that they had resumed talks with the government delegation as the sixty day ultimatum agreed on by both

warring parties elapsed without any tangible results. Leaders from the East African regional bloc (IGAD) vowed to impose tough measures should

any of the warring sides frustrate the ongoing negotiations seeking to end

the nearly eight month-old conflict.

Millions of Dollars of Weapons Supplied by China & Sudan Worsening South Sudan War’

Experts World - Agence France-Presse, NAIROBI (August 19, 2014)

(NEWS ANALYSIS) Millions of dollars of arms shipments have flooded South Sudan since civil war broke out eight months ago, weapons

monitors said Tuesday, with countries key to peace also involved in the supply. The shipments are prolonging a conflict in which thousands of

people have been killed and more than 1.5 million have been forced from their homes, monitors said.

Rights groups including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have called for an arms embargo, while the UN Security Council has

repeatedly warned of possible sanctions. “Since the start of the conflict there has been an influx of weapons into the country compared to the

post-independence period” of the last three years, said Jonah Leff, who heads Conflict Armament Research, a group that tracks weapon flows. “In

particular these flows have been more expensive, and more sophisticated,” with shipments including anti-tank weapons, Leff told AFP.

Weapons experts and Amnesty said they have confirmed shipments

totalling $38 million (28 million euros) worth of weapons including anti-

tank missiles, grenade launchers and assault rifles. The weapons were bought from China before fighting began, and delivered to land-locked and

oil rich South Sudan via Kenya in June. However, more arms have been supplied.

“It is not the tip of the iceberg, but there is a sizeable chunk more,” Leff

added. At the same time China, a member of the Security Council and a major player in South Sudan’s oil fields, is supporting peace talks in

Ethiopia mediated by east Africa’s IGAD bloc. And IGAD nations bordering South Sudan are also involved, with Uganda sending in troops to support

Juba’s government. Guns and ammunition from Sudan, one of Africa’s top

arms manufacturers, have been used by all sides in the conflict.

Shipments of arms have also transited through Kenya.

While rebels are not believed to have received large scale shipments of

guns — many are mutinous soldiers who looted army supplies — there is considerable cross-border trade in bullets. “Ammunition needs constant

replenishment,” Leff said. Both the government and rebels agreed not to rearm as part of three failed ceasefire deals, pacts broken each time

within hours of signing. Unhindered weapons flows will “fuel further atrocities, and be used in violation of international human rights and

humanitarian law,” said Amnesty’s Elizabeth Deng. (Text ends)

August 29, 2014 SOUTH SUDAN - Son of John Garang denies Ethiopia

arrest reports’

Mabior Garang, son of the late John Garang, a founding father of South Sudan and the country's ruling Sudan People's Liberation Movement

(SPLM), has dismissed media reports that he had been arrested by Ethiopian authorities earlier this week. "Media reports that said I had been

arrested are all false," the younger Garang told Anadolu Agency in Addis Ababa. "I am free and staying in [Addis Ababa's] Radisson Blu Hotel."

Some international media reports suggested that Garang had been arrested and interrogated by Ethiopian authorities in connection with an

alleged attempt on the life of South Sudanese President Salva Kiir, who was in Addis Ababa to attend an Intergovernmental Authority on

Development (IGAD) summit. The reports quoted Ethiopian security officials as saying that Garang was arrested in the possession of a fully-

loaded pistol when he was taken into custody in the lobby of a hotel in which Kiir was staying. "The media might have been told this by those

who are affiliated with the [South Sudanese] government," said Garang, who openly supports South Sudanese rebel leader Riek Machar. "I did not

attempt anything of the kind," he said, in answer to the reports. "The

[South Sudanese] government wants people to think of me as a dangerous man."

Garang has been part of the rebel delegation to IGAD-mediated talks

hosted by Addis Ababa, currently in recess. He has shuttled between Nairobi and Addis Ababa since the talks began earlier this year. He is one

of the few members of the Dinka tribe to have joined Machar's camp, members of which hail predominantly from the rival Nuer tribe. Garang

has accused Kiir's government of squandering the legacy of his late father, who spearheaded the decades-long struggle for South Sudanese

independence from Sudan.

South Sudan has been shaken by violence since last December, when Kiir

accused Machar of plotting to overthrow his regime. Hundreds of thousands of South Sudanese have since been displaced in fighting

between the two rivals, leading to an increasingly dire humanitarian situation for large swathes of the population. In recent months, the

warring camps have held on-again, off-again peace talks in Addis Ababa

under the auspices of the Djibouti-based IGAD, an East African regional bloc. (Text ends)

June 17, 2014: Ethiopian army general appointed commander of UN forces in South Sudan'

(JUBA) UN chief Ban Ki-moon Tuesday appointed the Ethiopian Lt General

Yohannes Gebremeskel Tesfamariam as the Force Commander for the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS). Tesfamariam who

served as the head of UN force for Abyei succeeds Major-General Delali

Johnson Sakyi of Ghana, who completed his assignment on 9 June 2014. “Lieutenant-General Tesfamariam brings to the position 35 years of

experience with the Ethiopian National Defence Forces and the United Nations in conflict-affected areas,” said the UN spokesperson in a

statement released on Tuesday. The new UNMISS commander was the head of the peacekeeping department and head of the military intelligence

in the Ethiopian defence ministry. He served as commander of the army corps and Ethiopia’s commissioner for the United Nations Mission in

Ethiopia and Eritrea. Lieutenant-General Tesfamariam who is from Tigry region has a master’s degree in peace and security from Addis Ababa

University. Last May, UN Security Council extended the mandate of the UN Mission in South Sudan and authorised it to use “all necessary means” to

protect civilians, monitor and investigate human rights, create the conditions for delivery of humanitarian assistance, and support the

implementation of the ceasefire agreement. Last December following the

eruption of violence in the South Sudan, the 15-member body increased the number of troops deployed in the country to 12,500 troops and 1,323

police forces. (ST)

SOUTH SUDAN: GoSS has unexpectedly recalled its ambassador to Ethiopia’

SUDAN TRIBUNE, JUBA (October 21, 2014) –

South Sudan government has unexpectedly recalled its ambassador to Ethiopia. in a move an official described as “a normal administrative

practice”. Family sources told Sudan Tribune that David Dang Kong was asked by the foreign affairs ministry to return to capital, Juba within 72

hours. But Mawien Makol, the foreign affairs spokesperson downplayed the incident, saying it was done within the ministry’s jurisdiction.

“This is a normal administrative practice to recall any of our diplomats for briefing at the headquarters on policy matters and for them to get other

directives to help them be able to carry out day to today activities and foreign services with confidence while in countries of deployment,” he said

on Tuesday. Unconfirmed reports, however, say Kong’s summons were mainly due to his alleged involvement in covert activities with South

Sudanese opposition forces. “He is claimed to have leaked sensitive and

classified diplomatic information to the rebels,” a source who preferred

anonymity told Sudan Tribune on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, sections of the Nuer community in Ethiopia have expressed

fears that the summoned diplomat could be harshly treated if he returned to Juba. “As a community we suspect something behind his instantaneous

call,” said Peter Jack Kuon, a spokesperson for the community. “We advocate for reinstating Kong if the government has no intention behind

his immediate call,” he added. Kuon also claimed that the first secretary at the South Sudanese embassy in Eritrea, David Mayan Gatkuoth, was

previously summoned in a similar manner, but was never heard from again.

Conflict in South Sudan, which erupted in mid-December last year following a political dispute within the ruling SPLM party, has led to fierce

fighting between government forces and those loyal to former vice president-turned rebel leader, Riek Machar. The conflict, which has killed

tens of thousands and displaced over 1.5 million, has increasingly divided communities along tribal lines. (Text ends)

October 24, 2014 (SSNA) — ”Meles Zenawi, of Ethiopia, died of suspected

poisoning”

IGAD Countries Imposed their hidden Interest in South Sudan Crisis

By John Chuol Kuek, PhD

IGAD stands for Intergovernmental Authority on Development. This organization was founded in 1986 by the following countries: Djibouti,

Ethiopia, Somalia, Sudan, Uganda and Kenya, with a focus on development and environmental control. Its mission was revised and

upgraded in 1996 to address issues of severe drought and development in the region. In addition, IGAD’s mission expanded to coordinate and

balancepolicies in the areas of socio-economic, agricultural development, environmental protection, and political and humanitarian affairs. The

creation of IGAD was viewed positively in the region. Eritrea became independent and joined the group in 1993 and South Sudan joined the

union and became the eighth member of IGAD in 2011, after celebrating its independence. Initially, IGAD was viewed as an emerging leader by

both the African Union, which represents the continent of Africa, and the

United Nations. As IGAD started to implement its programs with good will, the African Union Peace and Security Council approved an IGAD proposal

to deploy a Peace Support Mission in Somalia in September of 2006. IGAD played a role of a policeman in the region, trying to keep peace and

support developments in Somalia and the surrounding region. On February 21, 2007, the United Nations Security Council approved

Resolution 1744, which authorized the deployment of a new African Union Mission to Somalia, relieving theIGAD support mission troops. Reflecting

back on the role of IGAD, this coalition of countries was intended to keep peace and bring economic development to the region and not to establish

dictatorial empires in the region. IGAD was supposed to assist in the

peace-keeping mission by being non-partisan in their politics and not in their support of criminals to stay in power, especially those who killed

their own citizens. IGAD’s Role in South Sudan At this time, with the

current political crisis ravaging South Sudan, this writer, who is South Sudanese and a member of various past UN-sponsored groups that have

attempted to bring peace to this country, an important question needs to be asked of IGAD and its member nations: What is the role of IGAD in

East Africa and South Sudan at this time? Are IGAD’s intentions honest and genuine, which are to bring peace, or is it to support chaos, anarchy,

and political oppression? These questions and many more need to be quickly answered as the crisis in South Sudan continues to escalate

beyond a solution. Let us now look at some of the individuals who are intimately involved with IGAD in the region. Who is Yoweri Museveni of

Uganda, to begin with? Museveni has a long and negative presence in the region. He was involved in rebellions that toppled Ugandan leaders Idi

Amin (1971–79) and Milton Obote (1980–85). After the disappearance of these “icons”, the presidents of Burundi and Rwanda and Dr. John Garang

of South Sudan all perished in airplane crashes, and Meles Zenawi, of

Ethiopia, died of suspected poisoning, I have given Mr. Museveni a new moniker, “the cock among the hens in the region”. This man has a lot of

blood in his hands. For example, he is responsible for the death of the two presidents that sparked one of the worst genocides in human race after

the holocaust of 80,000 Tutsi in Rwanda. Also, Museveni was suspected in playing a key role in the first Congo war (1996-1997). He has also long

been suspected of John Garang’s death, which remains an unsolved mystery today. He has been manipulating three inexperienced leaders,

Paul Kagame, Uhuru Kenyatta, Hailemariam Desalegn, and are cronies as is his bodyguard, Salva Kiir.All are simply his puppets. Another example is

the implementation of Ugandan troops who are to be found everywhere in the region, and which he is using in an act of demagoguery. Moreover, let

us examine what has been going on in Somalia recently. Is the conflict in Somalia any different from what is currently taking place in South Sudan?

In this conflict, like the one in South Sudan, international “actors”, must

either be naïve or simply burying their heads in the sand and denying that a holocaust is taking place. Both international and regional actors have

been providing interest-based support, through weaponry or money, to different warring parties in the same country, in a manner suggestive of

not really caring who the winner is. In many ways, this is no different than what European empires, such as the British, did in Africa in the past. This

has made Somalia a chaotic country with anarchy and where killing is simply the rule of the day. As a result, this damage will now take years if

not decades to resolve. The international actors, such the Arab and Western states, have been drawn into Somalia’s conflict for various

reasons including the prevention of terrorists from establishing foothold in the region to acquiring new battlegrounds and exploiting natural

resources. This type of strategy, to conquer and divide, by IGAD members, has made it very difficult for the adoption of a common and

unifying position by the Somalians. In this writer’s opinion, there is no

doubt that IGAD is in cahoots with a new generation of dictators whose sole purpose in East Africa is to exploit their respective countries. As a

result, neighboring countries who falsely label themselves as stable and

democraticcountries are benefiting financially from this chaos. In the South Sudanese conflict, which really prompts this commentary,

Museveni, along with his cronies and the rest of the IGAD leaders came out with a bold statement condemning Dr. Riek Machar, who is considered

a legitimate leader amongst many of the populace in South Sudan, and blamed him as the instigator of the Juba Nuer massacre. Museveni swore

to capture Machar within in a few days if he refused to give up fighting. Their statement is a clue to their hidden interest in South Sudan.

Museveni is the primary driving force behind the conflict in South Sudan. The country at the same time continues to be blind to the fact that

Museveni does not like or respect Salva Kiir as the current leader in South Sudan. He portrayed Kiir as a fool. Why has Museveni despised Machar?

He views Machar as an emerging leader in the region with a strong and genuine approach toward the governance of South Sudan and similar to

Garang. Moreover, Machar has the same type of charisma as Garang did

and with the ultimate goal of one day uniting the entire continent of Africa and includingeastern Africa. Museveni is a confused and unwise leader. He

prefers to manipulate and control others for his own self-interests. Given his underlying motives, Museveni now has two missions in the South

Sudanese war- to get rid of Machar by any means possible and as well as Salva, and thus opening the door to force his own agenda. A good

example is a new military cooperation pact recently signed between Uganda and South Sudan, which paves the way for the South Sudanese

government to smuggle guns and ammunitions despite an embargo. This military cooperation is an unnecessary evil at this crucial time of peace

negotiations for the people of South Sudan. One of the main reasons that the peace talks became stalled in Addis Ababa is because of the undesired

presence of the Ugandan military in South Sudan. The contradiction spelled out by this action is that international parties and IGAD have not

opposed such a foreign presence, suggesting that in fact they support this

political and military move. This author poses this question: Why should any efforts be made to have a peace agreement in South Sudan when in

fact these political bodies have not recognized the blatant violations by Uganda. Has Kiir simply fooled himself into thinking that by agreeing to

have the Ugandan military present in South Sudan that Museveni will support him in the end? Also, why IGAD not serious about this peace

process? Here another reason. The peace process in Addis Ababa has been deliberately slowed down due to numerous regional and international

interests. Though IGAD is the designated broker of this peace, the international players, including Museveni, hold the key whole process.

Troika members also include United States, but unfortunately, seems to be ambivalent or give mixed messages in its relationship to IGAD. The

lack of assertiveness on the part of the United States only helps Museveni solidify his position and grip on the political future of South Sudan. In

addition, the organization lacks leaders whose true interests are righteous,

genuine, and humane, and who are really motivated to bring true peace and stability in the region. Of the IGAD countries, one must admire and

acknowledge Ethiopia for maintaining neutrality in peace process for South

Sudan.

Unfortunately, this country lacks the financial clout to broker a workable peace initiative. The Contradictions of IGAD While IGAD seems to be

corrupted by Museveni and others in relation to South Sudan, it has been quite helpful in bringing peace and tranquility to other countries including

Somalia. This contradiction is very troubling in light of the human rights struggles that are of parallel concern in both South Sudan and Ethiopia.

Are there underlying and hidden payoffs and agendas for IGAD nations in not supporting the peace process in South Sudan? Within the mission

statement of IGAD, great emphasis was placed on this organization

serving as the conduit of peaceful resolutions among countries that disagreed on a variety of sociopolitical issues, which in turn would help

boost the sustainable development of all member countries in the region. IGAD member states agreed to invest time and money to take effective

collective measures to eliminate threats to regional cooperation, to establish effective mechanisms of consultation and cooperation for the

peaceful settlement of differences and disputes, and to agree to offer all levels of technical and diplomatic assistance in the resolution of disputes

between member states before being referred to other regional or international bodies including the United Nations (IGAD 1996). Within this

purpose, three key areas were identified: a.) conflict prevention, management and humanitarian affairs; b.) infrastructure development

and food security; and c.) environmental safety control. A good example of where IGAD triumphed was in the peace process that was garnered

between Sudan and the new country of South Sudan, which was facilitated

by the United States under President George W. Bush. Thus, IGAD had earned an outstanding grade on that particular mission, and truly holds

the position of being a neutral organization whose primary should simply be to help countries resolve both internal and external problems, with no

other motives in mind. In the cases of both Somalia and Sudan, IGAD displayed no sense of being corrupted and in fact was extremely fair and

equitable in all aspects of the peace processes in both countries. To keep the region safe, IGAD members agreed to not support any party that

would attempt to bring down a democratically defined country, and instead would do everything possible to safeguard stability and freedom.

This initiative was hijacked by Museveni and Kiir to commence the current conflict on December 15, 2014 and to assassinate to kill Machar and his

political colleagues. Perhaps in the end, only God knew of Museveni and Salva’s plans to harm the nation. At the same time, thank God that Riek

and all the political detainees survived. Now that Riek and his political

allies survived and spoken the truth, IGAD leaders have no legitimate reason to gang up against the SPLM/A in Opposition. In detailing the truth

about IGAD’s interest, I am afraid that some prominent member states

will withdraw their membership in recognizing that IGAD has not been

fair, but instead partial to certain personalities. The Ending of IGAD Legitimacy in the Region South Sudan has been strained recently as other

countries in the region have also experienced instability. This could

probably be the worst turning point in the region if IGAD member states do not pay attention to the damage they have created and are also

supporting. The region needs to look back to what had happened to both Ethiopia and Somalia during the Cold War which led to the end of

dictatorial regimes in Ethiopia and Somalia. The newly “emerging leaders” in the post-Cold War era wanted to promote policies of peaceful relations

and a new era of cooperation and co-existence. This was one of the ways to unite the East African countries, such as the Horn of Africa and Great

Lakes region as a one giant continental business hub for entire Africa. This promise is now slipping away as the member states started pursuing their

individual and perhaps even selfish-interests. Instead of uniting the region, and handling issues with care and dignity, Museveni, Kenya’s

Uhuru Kenyatta, and Rwanda’s Paul Kagame have appeared to expand their territories and operate in a trilateral “coalition” in a rather zealous

manner with Tanzania and Burundi. Tanzania has warned that any efforts

to sideline it while fast-tracking the East African Federation could cause failure for the whole regional integration project. Dr. Ladislaus Komba,

Tanzania’s High Commissioner to Uganda, predicted “doom” for the East Africa Community if alienation between the countries continued. How

about between Uganda and Sudan, LRA, and the SPLM/A North? South Sudan invited the SPLM/A North and Darfur groups into the war, fighting

alongside the government. The Ugandan military has armed these rebels, hoping they get rid of Machar’s forces and continue through Sudanese

territory to help change the regime in Khartoum. The two countries will start fighting a proxy war, which could lead to a serious confrontation

between the two countries. When this happens, what will other IGAD countries like Ethiopia and Kenya do? Will they remain neutral or pick

sides? How about other interests around the world, such as the Islamic fundamentalists in West and North Africa? I am going to leave it to those

regional analysts to ponder. Pitfalls on the Current Peace Proposal Upon

studying the IGAD’s current peace proposal for South Sudan, the plan has not really deviated from the idea of having lasting peace in South Sudan.

However, this IGAD proposal fell short of addressing what brought this “senseless war” to this young country in the first place. This proposal

infers that IGAD’s plan is not to eliminate the conflict, but rather to help manage it in a productive way. Though IGAD countries have been

tirelessly working on emerging regional wars, there have been three major competing interests that have hindered the peace process and

which remain unaddressed. These are interests that are based on power, rights, and interests. The three key players in this peace process, IGAD,

the government of South Sudan and the SPLM/A in Opposition, have attempted to line up behind these three issues. IGAD should have been

the one to identify these issues, but instead has lagged behind suggesting little motivation to resolve problems in the region. Power is often

expressed through the use of authority, oppression, and the forced

separation of people and groups. IGAD member countries have one thing in common which is to remain in power as long as possible, and at any

cost. Any resolutions proposed toward the removal of a president in power

are viewed by this organization as going against the interests of, or contrary to, IGAD and not in aiding the situation in South Sudan. IGAD

member countries were originally expected to use their formal and informal authority to broker a resolution to this country’s problems, but it

is heartbreaking to see that they have neglected this fundamental premise stipulated in their guidelines. In the case of the Juba Nuer massacre,

which occurred in December 2013 in South Sudan, the SPLM/A in opposition did not need to conduct any form of research to convene a

meeting with IGAD members to prove to them that indeed the massacre took place. This massacre has been documented by various humanitarian

groups and the United Nation that it is clearly considered an obvious form of genocide. Why did IGAD mediators not act based on the facts? Now,

IGAD is rewarding the very government that just committed this despicable crime with more power to kill more innocent people again and

again. The rights-based approach is the card played by the SPLM/A in

Opposition to tell the world that the president lost his legitimate position on December 15, and therefore, he could no longer serve as the

president. The key players or brokers in this process did not want to hear this fact because they knew that it is real. A real and genuine interests-

based approach is oriented toward problem-solving based on the needs of those involved, and not based on subjective feelings and politics. The

party at fault and even the perpetrator often tries to move forward with the explicit goal of forgetting what happened and move on to a new

chapter. The South Sudanese government is playing this card, saying a legitimate government cannot be asked to step aside before its term ends.

The IGAD member countries seem to be favoring this claim rather than addressing the root causes of the conflict. That is, they are siding with the

current government. This begs a crucial question: Why have the IGAD countries not moved in the direction of pushing for the current leadership

to abandon South Sudan since the hallmark of the current government is

pure corruption, hatred, and totalitarianism? The answer to this question is rather simple, the IGAD mediators are equally part of the corruption

and have no interest in seeing to it that South Sudan become a peaceful and democratic country. In Kenya’s conflict between the Mwai Kibaki and

Raila Odinga tribes, Uganda created this very system IGAD is now attempting to impose on the South Sudanese rebels. Can all three

approaches be combined for the benefits of solving this very conflict? The answer of course is YES. All these methods-authority-based, right-based,

and interest-based- can be useful and are deemed necessary in this current political situation. As a mediator, you have to acknowledge that

such a thing had occurred, but you have to take a tough stand to resolve it. Meeting with warring parties, other parties and civil society to discuss

the needs of everyone involved also can be instrumental in moving toward an interest-based solution, which the SPLM/A in Opposition longs for. The

IGAD mediators can assist the warring parties to move from their

complaints to understanding their own interests. Their complaints are often based on their position or perceived unfairness. They are often all-

or-nothing statements and in the end only one person’s solution to the

problem. Interests, on the other hand, are the motivations that are often unspoken and based on personal values and experiences. They are the

reasons behind the complaint that IGAD favored one side or the other. The IGAD proposal to ending the war in South Sudan notes 28 items to be

implemented by the warring parties and other stakeholders. Below are the five items which I consider to be the most problematic in the peace

process. First, there shall be no third vice president in this federal transitional government if this is what IGAD want to introduce to the

South Sudanese people. Second, like Rwanda and Ethiopia in the region, the prime minister in South Sudan should be the one entrusted to

implement national policies and leading the government to negotiate what is best for the country as defined by the stakeholders, the citizens of the

country. The prime minister shall also be entrusted with the function of formulating the government programs of action in consultation with

council of ministers. Third, the prime minister of the TGONU shall be

eligible to stand for any public office in the national elections at the end of the transitional period. What in the world the IGAD is doing, proposing a

useless prime minister position for the Opposition? I am wondering if this makes sense to IGAD members themselves. This document is an

invitation of more conflicts, nothing less. Anybody would disown this cheap and shallow proposal to end this intensive war. It does not address

a solution to this war in any way. Fourth, it would make sense if the IGAD proposes that the executive of the transitional government shall comprise

the president, the prime minister and council of ministers. I am not in favor of this model at all any way. Why not using the same system that is

already in use? We need a president and a vice president system. Regardless of any of these methods, now, the debate would lie in WHO is

going to lead this transitional government of national unity and complete all the steps discussed and approved in the peace talk? Will Salva lead this

transitional government until election and be able to follow all the steps to

ensure war does not happen again? If this is what IGAD believes and wants, it is not going to solve the problem. It’s indeed better to keep

searching for a better scenario until a solution is sorted than reaching a cheap deal now only to return to war in a few months after. Salva would

not want to change the status quo at all in South Sudan. He has forgotten the very reason he fought the Khartoum government for and the people

who fought with him that he fought to change the status quo. He gestures this already in his circumstantial speeches that he does not want federal

system and no Machar again in his government. Finally, I agree to the fact that a permanent constitution be reconstructed and used by the

transitional government, and shall be based on federalism, being mindful of diversity with more power to states. This process will only be achieved

under a different leader than Kiir. Once this proposed structure is put in place and lead by a true nationalist, whose interest is to promote peaceful

co-existent of all different ethnicities and believes, the country will be

peaceful forever. In closing this author believes that to bring a lasting peace to South Sudan this peace process needs to be forward to the

African Union as the second step. IGAD leaders have been playing around

with it and got stuck already. They are dancing between the truth and favoritism to their colleague more than solving the war. The South

Sudanese people worldwide want to see this war comes to an end soon. They also need to have a model in place that will guarantee their co-

existing forever. Salva Kiir made Nuer and Dinka believe that they are enemies to each other’s. This is not true. It was not an intention of the

Dinka of South Sudan to kill the Nuer. It was Salva Kiir who wants to remain in power, and was intimidated by the present of Nuer figures who

could claim the same right as anybody in South Sudan to run for the president, should an opportunity presents itself. The author holds a PhD in

psychology. He is a South Sudanese living in the United States. He can be reached at kuekjohn@yahoo.com Source – SSNA (South Sudan News

Agency)

December 11, 2014. MABAN, SOUTH SUDAN: Khartoum auxiliary bishop

underlines the importance of education and hospitality to refugees – In a visit to the conflict-affected region of South Sudan, Bishop Daniel Adwok

underlined the importance of education and hospitality for refugees living in the border district Maban. In his first visit in more than four years, the

auxiliary bishop of the Catholic Archdiocese of Khartoum-Sudan spent an intensive few days meeting public officials, parish representatives and

refugees. Both refugees and host community members welcomed him wholeheartedly.

News Analysis: China to send 700 combat troops to South Sudan’

Deployment marks shift in Africa policy and will be first Chinese infantry battalion to take part in a UN peacekeeping mission By David Smith,

Guardian (December 26, 2014)

China is to send 700 combat troops to South Sudan in what analysts

describe as a significant shift from its stated policy of non-interference in African conflicts.

The first Chinese infantry battalion to take part in a UN peacekeeping

mission will be equipped with drones, armoured carriers, antitank missiles, mortars and other weapons, “completely for self-defence purpose”, state

media reported.

China is Africa’s biggest trade partner but has taken an arm’s length

approach to the continent’s myriad of political and military disputes. But it has been unusually proactive in diplomatic efforts to pacify South Sudan,

where it has invested heavily but where civil war has slashed oil production by a third.

Richard Poplak, an author and journalist studying Beijing’s influence on

the continent, said: “This does seem to announce a new era in the way

China is engaging with Africa. It runs contrary to China’s foreign policy of,

‘We don’t interfere’. It’s an enormous renunciation of that.”

Poplak, who has visited 18 African countries including South Sudan for a

forthcoming book, added: “It comes down to interest. The Chinese have poured billions and billions into South Sudan, so many resources that it’s

almost baffling. This is a shift in realpolitik: you can’t just talk all the time and not carry a big stick. The Chinese have realised that.”

China is the biggest contributor of peacekeepers among the five

permanent members of the UN security council and currently has more

than 2,000 posted around the world. But nearly all are engineers, medical and transport workers and security guards.

Poplak said it has previously sent small contingents of elite troops to Mali

and South Sudan to guard its personnel but that the new infantry battalion would be of a different order.

However, China would still have far less military presence in Africa than other major powers, at least for the time being, he said. “I don’t think

they will be anything as visible or machinelike as France or America but they’ve realised that as well as white hats they need blue hats.

“It’s not possible for anyone here or anyone in Beijing to say where this

ends. It’s a precedent and any precedent is a dangerous precedent.”

A rally for the departing Chinese battalion was held on Monday in the city

of Laiyang, Shandong province, according to the official Xinhua news agency. An initial contingent of 180 soldiers will fly to South Sudan next

month, with the rest of the battalion following in March.

“The 700-strong infantry battalion included 121 officers and 579 soldiers. Forty-three members have participated in peacekeeping missions before.

An infantry squad composed of 13 female soldiers will participate in a peacekeeping mission for the first time,” Xinhua reported.

The UN has more than 11,000 peacekeepers in South Sudan, which became independent from Sudan in 2011. Oil accounts for more than 90%

of the new country’s foreign revenues.

Fighting broke out in December last year when President Salva Kiir accused his sacked deputy Riek Machar of attempting a coup. The fighting

in the capital, Juba, set off a cycle of retaliatory massacres across large

swaths of South Sudan, claiming thousands of lives and pushing the country to the brink of famine. Oil-producing regions have endured some

of the worst violence.

The state-owned China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) said last Sunday it had signed a deal with the government in Juba to increase

production. The CNPC said it would use heavy oil recovery technologies in “stabilising and increasing crude output”.

On Monday, Ethiopia’s prime minister, Hailemariam Desalegn, said South

Sudan’s leaders could face punitive sanctions from their neighbours as a “last resort” if peace talks fail to end the war. Negotiations in Addis Ababa

have led to several ceasefire deals but each has been violated within

hours.

A 2011 report by the NGO Saferworld found that, despite its stated neutrality, China is gradually using diplomatic means to push for the

resolution of certain conflicts. It also said the Asian power is becoming a major supplier of conventional arms to African states and has increased its

contributions to UN peacekeeping missions twentyfold since 2000, with the majority based in Africa. (Text ends)

SOUTH SUDAN: if you think education is expensive, try ignorance

Maban, (January 2015) – When South Sudan became the world's youngest country in 2011, the literacy rate was a mere 27 percent. To

improve this statistic, the education ministry of South Sudan set a high goal: reduce the illiteracy rate by 50 percent by 2015.

Entering 2015 with no progress made, South Sudan ranks the most illiterate country in the world. The country's educational facilities, teachers

and students have been neglected as resources have been diverted to funding the war which has displaced nearly two million people.

"A country without education is like a house without a foundation, and the

foundation of South Sudan is crumbling. You can't build a future for a new nation unless you prioritise education; sadly South Sudan never did so.

The country is on the brink of disaster, and one of main reasons is the

lack of access to education," said Alvar Sánchez SJ, Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) Maban Education Coordinator.

Goals are an empty illusion. Since conflict erupted in late 2013, all efforts

made to fill educational gaps in the country were halted, especially in remote areas like Maban county in Upper Nile, where JRS has established

projects.

The lack of resources allocated to educational materials and school

management coupled with a scarcity of teachers has set back students in Upper Nile immensely.

The secondary school in Bunj Town has not opened its doors since

December last year, and primary schools in Maban are far from offering even minimal services. For the past two years, students who have finished

their primary school courses have still not been able to take their national exams.

Furthermore, a stark reallocation of resources is made evident by the difference between a teacher's salary and that of a soldier. Adwok Kiir,

Director of Education of Fashoda county, also in Upper Nile, pointed out that a teacher's monthly salary in the county is 270 South Sudanese

pounds (roughly 47 USD) while a soldier for the government army is paid

1,000 South Sudanese pounds (175 USD). As a result, many instructors

abandoned their schools to join the military in September.

"If a teacher is paid nearly four times less than military personnel, the

price will be paid later. If you think education is expensive, try ignorance," said Fr .Sánchez.

The cost of violence and ignorance is likely to be felt in South Sudan for

years to come. However, if the international community is to make a long-term investment in education, perhaps the return of peace will result.

"Education is a priority, an emergency, something that should not be suspended or postponed...Emergencies – wars or even natural disasters –

do not go away overnight; they affect people for years and whole generations miss out on an education...Ignorance breeds violence, which

in turn becomes a vicious circle," said Superior General of the Society of Jesus, Adolfo Nicolás speaking at an event commemorating Universal

Children's Day with JRS in Rome.

Restoring normalcy. The situation is no better in the refugee camps in

Maban county, which hosts Sudanese refugees from neighbouring state of Blue Nile, 80 percent of whom are women and children.

JRS organises teacher training workshops in Maban county, offers

recreational activities for children, and teaches English classes to adults from both the refugee and local communities.

In the emergency context, JRS has found that education is not only important to ensure knowledge is passed onto younger generations, but

also to restore some sense of normality in the lives of those whose childhoods have been disrupted by violence and displacement.

"For the refugee and for local community youth, school gives them a

rhythm they can depend on in a volatile situation. . It allows them to think not only about today, but for tomorrow, for a month from now, for six

months from now and that allows them to hope. 'Hope,' as Confucius said,

'breeds peace,'" said Pau Vidal SJ, JRS Maban Project Director.

Changing power dynamics. Education, which breeds hope and builds strong leaders, can have a powerful multiplying effect, especially for

women and girls.

Sadly, of the children not able to access education throughout the

country, two-thirds are girls. Only six percent of girls finish primary school, but 42 percent marry before they reach 18.

"Educating girls is the first step in helping them realise their rights,

become self-reliant and reduce their levels of dependency. They gain self-esteem and believe they can have power over their own lives, that they

can do the same things as men," said Isaac Malish, JRS Maban Assistant Education Coordinator.

The ability of women to transform society, if given the right tools, is

immense. Almost 100 women peace activists in South Sudan are organising to "advance the cause of peace, healing and reconciliation."

"The women of South Sudan have specific talents that can take the

country on a path to peace. They influence their families, especially their sons," said Fr Sánchez.

Cooperative effort. Replacing the current cycle of violence with a cycle of

knowledge and peace requires coordinated action between leaders of society, especially parents and school administrators.

"Most parents value girls as assets to marry, because the dowries give them a source of income. They don't know that educating a girl makes her

a different kind of resource, one that can allow her to create a better future for herself, her children and society as a whole. Educated women

are the best advocates for educating other women in the community," said Isaac.

While 2014 left South Sudan in a protracted conflict, gender balance in

education is not something which should be pursued in the aftermath of the crisis, but instead provided during times of displacement to foster

strong leaders of the future.

"As Nelson Mandela said, 'education is the most powerful weapon which

you can use to change the world' … In an emergency situation, inclusive education is our passport to a better future," said Fr Sánchez. Angela

Wells, JRS Eastern Africa Communications Officer

South Sudan peace talks collapse’

AFP (March 7, 2015)

Addis Ababa (AFP) - South Sudan's warring leaders failed to reach a deal

to end more than a year of civil war, mediators said, with the latest collapse in peace talks paving the way for possible sanctions.

Ethiopia's prime minister said South Sudan's President Salva Kiir and rebel leader Riek Machar missed a deadline to reach a peace agreement by

midnight Thursday, and that further talks on Friday "did not produce the necessary breakthrough."

"This is unacceptable, both morally and politically," Hailemariam Desalegn

said in the statement issued by the east African regional bloc IGAD, which

has been trying to mediate a peace deal.

Hailemariam also gave IGAD's harshest criticism yet of Kiir and his former deputy Machar, whose personal feud has exploded into ethnic massacres,

gang rapes and the forced displacement of civilians, pushing the country to the brink of famine.

"Continuing a war flagrantly disregards the interests of you, the people,"

he said, addressing the people of South Sudan, whose country only gained independence from Khartoum in 2011 after a long, bitter war.

"It is an abdication of the most sacred duty leaders have to you, their people: to deliver peace, prosperity and stability," the Ethiopian premier

said of Kiir and Machar, both of who have been implicated in atrocities.

"I asked them to be courageous in offering compromises and alternatives, rather than only reiterating old positions.... Unfortunately, as the missed

deadline shows, our pleas have not been heeded."

The US condemned on Friday a lack of "political leadership" to resolve

South Sudan's civil war.

US State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said Kiir and Machar had "again failed the people of South Sudan by refusing to make the

compromises necessary for peace".

"We strongly condemn the lack of political leadership to resolve this man-

made conflict that has exacted a terrible cost over the past nearly 15 months," Harf said in a statement.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said he was "profoundly disappointed"

with the failure to reach a peace deal.

Ban said the leaders failed "to display statesmanship" but he nevertheless

called "for the continuation of the negotiations."

South Sudan's civil war started in December 2013 when Kiir accused Machar, who had been sacked as vice president, of attempting a coup.

More than two dozen armed groups -- including government soldiers and allied militia backed by Ugandan soldiers on one side, and a range of rebel

factions on the other -- have been battling it out since.

Tens of thousands of people have died in the conflict, two million have been uprooted and 2.5 million are in desperate need of food aid.

More robust approach

In a bid to force a deal, the United Nations this week passed a resolution threatening sanctions against individuals deemed to be undermining peace

efforts.

Possible targets include leaders or officials who obstruct peace talks,

impede humanitarian aid deliveries, recruit child soldiers or attack UN peacekeepers.

Acknowledging IGAD's failure to broker peace, Hailemariam said the

"peace process must be reinvigorated and reformed".

"We will assist the parties to make the compromises that have so far

eluded them. We will use all influence at our disposal to convince those

that remain intransigent," he said, alluding to mounting calls for sanctions

and an arms embargo.

According to diplomats close to the peace process -- which has so far cost

at least 20 million euros ($21.7 million) and earned the peace delegates scorn for drawing out their stays in luxury hotels -- IGAD could call in the

African Union, the 54-member pan-African bloc, in a bid to find a more robust approach.

A draft AU report on the conflict obtained by AFP has recommended South

Sudan be handed over to internationally-mandated caretakers and its

warring leaders barred from politics.

Former Nigerian president Olusegun Obasanjo led an AU probe and submitted a final version of the report in January, but AU officials had

shelved it -- fearing its publication might undermine IGAD's peace efforts. (Text ends)

South Sudan: overcoming the adversity of war, investing in stronger communities’

At the end of 2013, a political dispute between President Salva Kiir and

vice-President Riek Machar, following months of escalating tensions, reached boiling point. Gun battles in the capital Juba quickly escalated to

massacres and continued fighting elsewhere in the country, particularly in the eastern states of Jonglei, Unity and Upper Nile.

More than one year later, an estimated 50,000 to 100,000 civilians have lost their lives and a further 12,000 children have been recruited into

armed groups. Nearly two million South Sudanese people have been forcibly displaced with 500,000 in nearby countries and 1.5 million

internally displaced. According to estimates by the World Food Programme, nearly another 300,000 people will have fled to Ethiopia,

Kenya, Sudan and Uganda by the end of 2015.

Amidst the chaos of war in South Sudan, suffering transcends borders,

ethnic differences and age. Children are more severely affected, some growing up never having a secure home, others losing their parents and

left to fend for themselves. Widows, unaccompanied minors, the elderly, and persons with disabilities all face the brunt of fighting and are at higher

risk exploitation and trauma.

As South Sudan enters a second year of renewed conflict, famine and further mass displacement looms. Comprehensive humanitarian aid,

including educational opportunities and psychosocial support, is essential to protect lives today and build a more just tomorrow.

Only coordinated action by humanitarian agencies, as well as faith and government leaders, both in and outside South Sudan, will bring about a

peaceful and sustainable solution to the conflict and the protection of civilian populations in the interim. JRS urges those with influence to:

prioritise diplomatic efforts and apply pressure on the South Sudanese

government and armed groups to agree upon an immediate ceasefire and

cooperate to reach a negotiated solution to the conflict. Consultation opportunities must be created for the meaningful participation of

representatives from communities engaged in humanitarian assistance

across social and ethnic divides; protect those most at-risk of human rights abuses or severe suffering;

ensure both refugee and local communities are able to satisfy their

fundamental needs, such as access to food, safe housing and education; guarantee safe humanitarian corridors for the delivery of food and

lifesaving materials; andmake a long-term investment in quality education, especially by prioritising learning opportunities for girls.

Education in emergencies. Education is the one avenue that not only ensures knowledge is passed on to younger generations, but also instils a

sense of normality for children and hope for communities.

"Emergencies…do not go away overnight; they affect people for years and whole generations miss out on an education. This is dangerous. Ignorance

breeds violence, which in turn becomes a vicious circle," said Superior General of the Society of Jesus, Adolfo Nicolás, at an event

commemorating Universal Children's Day hosted by the Jesuit Refugee

Service in Rome.

This is especially true in South Sudan where less than half of children are in school and illiteracy rates are among the highest in the world. Even

before the conflict, girls in South Sudan had a higher chance of dying during childbirth than finishing primary school, according to the latest

strategic response plan of the South Sudan Education Cluster.

"Only through education can generations of refugee children have the

opportunities offered to others; to build communities of peace and respect for difference. But not just that, it is an opportunity to build the leaders of

tomorrow, leaders who understand the terrible effects of violence and conflict and who have found the strength to overcome them," said Fr

Adolfo Nicolás.

Legacy of impact. JRS has been providing education to displaced southern Sudanese for 23 years, accompanying refugees through the most difficult

periods of war.

Between 1992 and 2008, JRS offered education services to more than

30,000 students and trained more than 2,000 teachers in Adjumani, Uganda - one of the organisation's largest interventions. In Kakuma

refugee camp, JRS provided secondary scholarships to the brightest South Sudanese refugees.

In 1997, JRS opened education projects in the South Sudanese counties of Nimule, Yei, Kajo Keji and Lobone bordering Uganda as refugees and

internally displaced persons began returning home. These programmes

served as many as 60,000 children a year and trained thousands of

teachers.

Many of those served throughout the region subsequently returned to

their homes in South Sudan to make significant contributions to the country's education, banking, construction and administrative sectors.

Some have contributed to the lasting peace in the few areas of the country unaffected by the current conflict.

Present JRS intervention. After handing over responsibility for schools to

the local church and authorities, JRS teams turned their attention toward

assisting returnee refugees in Yambio county bordering the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda. The former refugees, after years of

exile, returned to their war-torn homes to find little by way of infrastructure or educational opportunities, particularly for girls. Since

January 2013, JRS has trained teachers, provided learning materials, renovated schools and extended education to girls through the provision

of partial scholarships and sanitary materials.

Similarly, in Kakuma refugee camp, JRS teams have extended their programmes in mental health in a section of the camp established for new

arrivals, the majority of whom are South Sudanese. South Sudanese

refugees also receive educational scholarships for primary, secondary, special needs and higher education.

In September 2013, JRS expanded to Maban county (Upper Nile State) to

provide education, psychosocial and pastoral services for both refugee and host communities. In the period surrounding independence, 125,000

people fled to Maban, escaping conflict in oil-rich Blue Nile state. Simultaneously, South Sudanese refugees from Upper Nile were returning

home after years of exile in Sudan and Ethiopia.

Looming insecuirty. As security deteriorated in 2014, the JRS team in

Maban were forced to evacuate twice until being able to scale up its response in September. In Maban, JRS has chosen to invest primarily in

those with the power to foster a generation of peace builders – teachers – through providing training for primary school instructors in the camp and

local community and support to local schools. In addition, team members make home visits to individuals in extremely vulnerable circumstances

and offer community counselling sessions, recreational activities for young people and vocational training, including adult literacy classes in English.

Refugees from Sudan in Maban now constitute more than two-thirds of the local population; they find themselves caught between the war they

fled at home and the one in their host society. The host community of recent returnees have come home to find a local government crippled to

provide basic services – especially for education as most primary schools are not operational.

According to the South Sudan Education Cluster, of the 1,200 schools in

Jonglei, Unity and Upper Nile states, 70 percent have been closed since

December 2013 leaving 1.7 million children without access to education.

Nationwide, less than two percent of secondary school students are enrolled in school.

Both populations live in severe poverty and struggle to access land for planting food or grazing animals, a problem that has been mirrored

throughout the country as 2.5 million are classified as food insecure in South Sudan, according to Oxfam.

"Basic services and opportunities for empowerment must be provided to

both local and refugee communities if they are to overcome the

adversities of war in solidarity. Our education programmes – which include peace and reconciliation – offer long-term solutions and protection to

these communities," said Deogratias Rwezaura SJ, JRS Eastern Africa Director.

Jesuit Refugee Service is an international Catholic organisation with a

mission to accompany, serve and advocate on behalf of refugees and other forcibly displaced persons. JRS programmes are found in 50

countries, providing assistance to: refugees in camps and cities, individuals displaced within their own countries, asylum seekers in cities,

and to those held in detention centres. The main areas of work are in the

field of education, emergency assistance, healthcare, livelihood activities and social services. At the end of 2013, more than 900,000 individuals

were direct beneficiaries of JRS Projects.

South Sudan conflict: From civil war to ethnic conflagration?

The leaders of the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) former rebel

movement were completely unprepared to run an independent State. Their considerable popular support stemmed mainly from the relief the

southern peoples felt that the decades of deadly war with the Khartoum regime had finally come to an end. But constructing a nation simply on

the basis of being separate from Northern Sudan did not provide the new State with a clear national identity. Consequently, the power struggle

between president Salva Kiir (a member of the Dinka ethnic group) and his number two, the Nuer Riek Machar, fanned by the oil resource,

plunged South Sudan into a civil war that could at any moment degenerate into a long-term inter-ethnic conflict.

South Sudan conflict: UN imposes sanctions on generals’

BBC AFRICA (July 2, 2015) The UN Security Council has imposed sanctions on six generals accused of fuelling conflict in South Sudan. The

generals, three from each side of the conflict, will face global travel bans and asset freezes.

On Monday, a UN report alleged that government troops had gang-raped and burned alive women and girls in the oil-rich Unity State, during an

offensive against rebel forces.South Sudan, the world's newest state, has been hit by conflict since 2013.

Among those targeted by the sanctions is the commander of President

Salva Kiir special guard, Maj-Gen Marial Chanuong Yol Mangok. On the rebel side, they include Maj-Gen Simon Gatwech Dual, chief of general

staff for the opposition forces and a key ally of rebel leader Riek Machar.

'Self-interest'The US ambassador to the UN, Samantha Power, said the

Security Council had demonstrated that those who committed atrocities and undermined peace would face consequences. "South Sudan's political

leadership has squandered the international goodwill that accompanied its independence and pursued political and economic self-interest that has

produced only violence, displacement and suffering for the South Sudanese people," she added. (Text ends)

SOUTH SUDAN:James Copnall, BBC South Sudan expert’

Brief Analysis:The six generals are fairly well known in South Sudan, but are certainly not famous internationally. In some cases, they are fighting

men who have hardly ever left their country. Rebel and government supporters insist these men do not have foreign bank accounts, or plans

to travel abroad. If this is the case, what's the point of sanctions?

The decision was probably taken for two reasons: To punish men

considered responsible for some of the worst crimes of a particularly bloody war, and to put pressure on their bosses. The message to Mr Kiir

and Mr Riek Machar is this: Hurry up, sign a peace deal - or you could be next.

Not everyone is convinced this will work: The International Crisis Group

think-tank has already warned the sanctions risk compromising the peace

process. South Sudan will be marking four years of independence next week after it seceded from Sudan.

At least two million people have been left homeless by the conflict which

erupted in December 2013 after Mr Kiir accused Mr Machar, his sacked deputy, of plotting a coup. Mr Machar denied the allegation, but then

formed a rebel army to fight the government.

Various efforts to mediate an end to the conflict have failed. Earlier this

month, the UN humanitarian co-ordinator in the country, Toby Lanzer, was expelled by the government. Reports say he was kicked out for

highlighting the plight of those caught up in the conflict.

Helping South Sudan invest in peace’

MABAN (July 29, 2015) "Education will teach kids how to bring peace

through the pen and the negotiation table," said Leila, a 27-year-old refugee teacher from Sudan who has dedicated her life to promoting

education..

Background:

After South Sudan gained its independence from Sudan itself, hopes were

high for peace. But ongoing conflict and a lack of necessities like food and clean water have caused suffering in both countries.

Where the Jesuit Refugee Service works in the Upper Nile region of South Sudan, refugees from Sudan constitute more than two thirds of the local

population. The host community is made up of many recent returnees who were previously in exile in Sudan during the second civil war. They have

come home to find a local government crippled, unable to provide basic services.

Education not only ensures to these younger generations learn, but also instils a sense of normalcy and hope for their communities. This is

especially true in South Sudan, where less than half of children are in school and illiteracy rates are among the highest in the world. The same is

true for the 130,000 Sudanese refugees who are seeking asylum in Maban, South Sudan.

JRS invests in teachers who are fostering a new generation of peace

builders. JRS has established teacher training programmes, adult and youth English literacy courses as well as a nursery school which reach

both refugees and the host community. Prioritising education will protect

lives today and build a more just tomorrow. --Angela Wells, JRS Eastern Africa Communications Officer

SOUTH SUDAN: CPJ condemns killing of prominent journalist’

CPJ PR (August 21, 2015) Nairobi, August 20, 2014 - The Committee to

Protect Journalists condemns the killing of Peter Julius Moi, a reporter for

business weekly The Corporate and independent bi-monthly New Nation, who was shot in South Sudan's capital, Juba, Wednesday,according to

reports.

Unidentified assailants in a car shot Moi twice in the back while the journalist was walking home from work in the Jebel Kujur area of the city

at about 8 p.m, according to news reports.

"We condemn the senseless killing of Peter Julius Moi in what has become

a deadly year for journalists in South Sudan," said Tom Rhodes, CPJ's East Africa representative. "More and more independent voices are being

silenced in South Sudan at this critical time in the country's history, when the public desperately needs impartial information."

Otieno Ogeda, chief executive officer of The Corporate, and Kenneth

Ouka, editorial consultant for New Nation, told CPJ they could not identify any articles written by Moi in the publications that may have triggered the

attack. None of Moi's belongings, such as his phone and money, were

taken in the attack, Ogeda said.

Repeated calls to the police and to presidential spokesman Ateny Wek Ateny about Moi's murder were left unanswered.

Journalists are planning a media blackout for three days in protest at the

killing of Moi, according to local journalists CPJ spoke with and reports.

In South Sudan, five journalists have been killed in direct relation to their

work since the start of the year, making it one of the most deadly countries in 2015, according to CPJ research. Unidentified gunmen killed

all five journalists in January during an ambush of an official convoy traveling through Western Bahr el Ghazal State, according to the former

state minister of information, Derrick Alfred. Earlier this month, security forcesshuttered indefinitely two newspapers, the privately owned Arabic

daily Al Rai and English daily The Citizen,and the media outlet Free Voice South Sudan, according to news reports and journalists CPJ spoke with.

No official reason was given for the closures, the journalists said.

Earlier this week, President Salva Kiir threatened to kill journalists for

reporting "against the country" as he departed for Addis Ababa in Ethiopia to attend peace talks, according tonews reports and a recording in CPJ's

possession.

Tens of thousands of people have been killed and nearly two million displaced since the civil war started in December 2013, pitting forces loyal

to President Kiir against those supporting former vice-president Riek

Machar. The South Sudanese government came under pressure by the international community on August 17 to sign a peace deal brokered by

the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, an eight-country trade bloc in Africa, according to news reports (Text ends)

South Sudan On The Brink:

Failing Currency And Armed Conflict Pushes Country Closer To Famine By Erin Banco, IB Times September 1, 2015

In the southern city of Morobo, South Sudan, mangoes litter the ground

beneath the trees that line the roads. But 500 miles north, in the northeastern city of Malakal, people are severely malnourished and rely

entirely on shipments of food from humanitarian groups. The stark difference between the two cities -- one bordering Uganada, the other

Sudan -- represents a wider phenomenon that could push the world’s youngest nation into a man-made famine.

The famine in South Sudan, if officially declared, will be the result of an avoidable armed conflict and the failure of the government to invest in

local infrastructure, aid workers say. George Fominyen, a spokesman for the World Food Program (WFP), one of the main United Nations agencies

working to prevent starvation among the South Sudanese people, told International Business Times that the abundance of mangoes and other

goods in Morobo rarely make it to the northern communities that need it most because the roads are impassable.

“We are extremely concerned about the conflict in South Sudan and the food situation,” Fominyen said in a phone interview. “Humanitarian

organizations have very little access to south and central Unity State

where the situation is the worst.” Consequently, communities in the arid, dry lands in the north are suffering from malnutrition. The combination of

escalating levels of armed fighting, a dwindling economy and

underdeveloped infrastructure has put the South Sudan on the verge of declaring a nationwide famine, an official declaration that could come in

September, Fominyen said.

SOUTH SUDAN: Salva Kiir and Makuei want 28 states in S Sudan

Radio Tamazuj JUBA (2 Oct., 2015)

South Sudan's President Salva Kiir on Friday night sought to decree the

division of South Sudan's constitutionally established ten states into 28 states. The move was supported by Minister of Information and

Broadcasting Michael Makuei, who says the change does not require parliamentary approval.

The president appeared on South Sudan Television (SSTV) on Friday evening declaring that he had decided to divide the 10 states into 28 new

states. For example, Central Equatoria would be divided into three states: Juba State, Terekeka State and Yei River State.

Article 161 of South Sudan's Transitional Constitution states that “the

territory of South Sudan is composed of ten states.”

The constitution gives the Council of States the power to alter state

boundaries and change state names or capitals, but nowhere does it authorize the creation of new states or the elimination of constitutionally

established states.

Speaking on SSTV after Kiir's remarks, Makuei congratulated the president for his “bold decision.”

“This is of course in accordance with the provisions of the constitution... this is in accordance with the principle of taking towns to the people,” said

the official. He added that the change was part of a process of making the government into a federal system.

Makuei was asked by SSTV anchor Garang John if the parliament will have

a say in the matter, as required by the constitution. “This is an order,” responded the minister. “This order in my opinion I think will not go to the

parliament. If it were to go to the parliament the provision would have

been done differently.”

“This is an administrative order issued by the president, and an administrative order is not subject to approval,” Makuei affirmed.

SOUTH SUDAN: President was 'hesitant' over decision

Kiir's decree will affect the peace deal with the rebel group SPLM-IO because the deal gave the group the positions of governor in two states,

Unity and Upper Nile. The division of the states to be given over to rebel

governors suggests that Kiir may seek to keep his appointees in control of

parts of those areas.

Makuei, however, said the decree will not have any impact on the peace

agreement. He stressed that the decision will help to transform the government into a federal system, which is what the rebels had

demanded.

SSTV anchor John Garang queried Makuei about the decision, noting, “the president has been hesitant on this issue of creating more states.” He

questioned where the resources will come from to create these new state

governments.

The information minister said that the government has sufficient resources but these have been interrupted by the war and once peace resumes

there will be more resources available for the states. He said also that states themselves will have a responsibility to generate resources for

themselves in order to function. Radio Tamazuj will bring you more news about the decree in the coming days.

SOUTH SUDAN: New decree creates ethnic enclaves for Nuer

JUBA (2 Oct., 2015) A new 'order' by the South Sudanese president creating new states and new state boundaries largely separates the Nuer

ethnic group from other ethnic groups, leaving most of them within ethnically homogeneous states.

President Salva Kiir read out the order on national television on Friday evening, dividing the country's ten constitutionally established states into

28 new ones.

Although the decree does not refer specifically to ethnicities, it clearly groups together Nuer-inhabited areas into states of their own, without

intermixing them with any of the other tribes, according to the new county and state lists.

Kiir's decree would leave Dinka intermixed with other ethnic groups in some states – for example, the Maban would be governed by a majority

Dinka Eastern Nile State, and the Fertit ethnic groups of Raja County would be governed by a new 'Lol State' that also would include Dinkas of

Aweil North and West.

But the Nuer-inhabited areas would form exclusively Nuer state

governments. For example, the previously intermixed Unity State would be divided into Northern and Southern Liech states, covering the parts of

Unity State inhabited by Nuers. The Dinka that live within Unity State's current boundaries – in Pariang and Abiemnhom counties – would be split

off into a new 'Ruweng State'.

Jonglei State, previously South Sudan's largest state with a diverse population of Nuers, Dinkas, Murles, Anyuaks and others, would be

reduced to only the Dinka-inhabited areas of Bor, Duk and Twic East.

Jonglei's Nuer-inhabited regions would be split into two other states, while

the Pibor, Pochalla and Boma areas would form a fourth state.

Akobo, Uror and Nyirol counties, which correspond to the Lou Nuer

territory, would be administered as a single “Eastern Bieh State.” Fangak and Ayod counties, which correspond to the Gawaar Nuer territory, would

be administered as a single “Western Bieh State.”

Notably, Pigi County, which is an enclave of mostly Dinka lying between the Gawaar and Lou Nuer territories, and which has been part of Jonglei

State, will be transferred to the administration of a new and relatively

large state, Eastern Upper Nile.

Similarly, in what is currently Upper Nile State, the Nuer-inhabited east would be split off into a new “Latjor State,” consisting of Nasir, Ulang and

Maiwut counties. None of the Shilluk or Dinka-inhabited areas would fall within the boundaries of any state also inhabited by Nuers.

South Sudan's Information Minister Michael Makuei, who appeared on state television on Friday to explain the new decree, says that it will not

need to be approved by the parliament to take effect.

“This is an order,” the minister said. “This is an administrative order issued by the president, and an administrative order is not subject to

approval.”

SOUTH SUDAN: Human rights defender wants Sudan put under Chapter 4

KHARTOUM (3 Oct., 2015) Sudan Human Rights Monitor President Amin

Mekki Madeni has expressed disappointment that the Human Rights Council in Geneva did not classify Sudan as Chapter 4 which indicates

higher levels of violations.

Speaking on regular broadcast by Radio Tamazuj, Mekki said they were

hoping Sudan would be put under Chapter 4 because of abuses committed by the government, "but unfortunately it has been kept again under

Chapter 10."

"Laws will not be implemented by an oppressive and totalitarian government, they will be in the framework of a democratic

transformation, and in the framework of peace if there is peace in the country" he said.

Madeni recently returned to Khartoum from Geneva where he attended deliberations on a report submitted by the Human Rights Council's

independent expert on Sudan.

The human rights activist further said he was not surprised by some African and Arab countries that supported Sudan during the deliberation

on the report. He noted that there are Sudanese laws which violate

international law and that the constitution itself allows the government to continue committing the abuses.

The leading civil society member stressed that the only solution is a

radical change that will lead to an alternative democratic transformation in Sudan.

SOUTH SUDAN: Two South Sudan states confirm receiving copies of Compromise Peace Agreement

RENK AND AWEIL (3 Oct., 2015)

Officials from Upper Nile and Northern Bahr el Ghazal states say they received copies of the Compromise Peace Agreement from the

national government, while officials in other states have not.

Earlier this week Eastern Equatoria State Minister Mark Okia told Radio Tamazuj that Torit had yet to receive any copy of the agreement, over a

month after it was signed.

Upper Nile state Minister of Information Yhor Akech confirmed they

officially received copies of the agreement from Juba and are able to speak to their citizens regarding peace implementation and the

government's reservations.

“Yes as officials there are some who have received copies of the agreement while others did not," he said. "We know very well those who

were making the agreement do not want to disseminate the agreement."

Yhor said the people of South Sudanese ave been suffering and have a

right to see the peace agreement.

"We should have it," he continued. "Maybe that way it may bring us back together toward peace."

He said copies of the agreement should be distributed to the community organizations to bring the peace deal to the people.

"When CPA was signed there were committees formed to disseminate the

agreement," he said. “It is impossible for us as the government to speak with the public without having the copies of the agreement. We cannot

talk to public before reading the agreement."

Northern Bahr el Ghazal State Minister of Information Angelo Akech Akeen

also confirmed to have received official copies of the agreement from Juba.

“Yes, we have received the copies from caretaker governor Akot Deng that

was given to him by the president when he take oath of office before

president of republic of South Sudan after his appointment,” he said

Akech said they are preparing to move to every county in order to tell people in different areas of Northern Bahr el Ghazal State about peace

agreement.

SOUTH SUDAN: South Sudan opposition calls for extension of UNMISS

mandate

ADDIS ABABA (3 Oct.,2015) South Sudan's armed opposition has called

for the extension of UNMISS' mandate through the three-year transitional period in order to protect civilians in and outside UN bases.

Seven members of the opposition, including John Juan Dong and Puot Khang, recently held a one day meeting in Addis Ababa on the future

of the peacekeeping mission, according to SPLA-In Opposition spokesperson Dickson Gatluak.

The SPLM/A-In Opposition representatives met with with members of

the UN's Technical Review Team, which is evaluating UNMISS. UNMISS is

mandated to protect civilians in South Sudan and in accordance with this mandate has allowed some 200,000 conflict-displaced people to shelter at

its bases.

Gatluak said that in the meeting they discussed how UNMISS should help to repatriate these people to their homes, but he said his side is

urging UNMISS to continue patrolling its bases as well as other civilian areas. He said UNMISS should monitor and patrol areas of military

cantonment as well.

"SPLM/IO is calling on the UNMISS to help in term of

monitoring, verification, as well as patrolling in areas where the forces are going to be kept under cantonments, and extension of its protection

of civilians not only in the [protection of civilians areas in the bases] but even for those who are living far from its bases across the country to be

covered," Gatluak said in a press release.

He said the SPLA-IO further calls on UNMISS to participate fully

in elections scheduled at the end of the three year period to ensure the vote is transparent and fair. He said they want UNMISS to also

train police and military courts, and to build schools and health facilities.

Further, Gatluak said his side wants UNMISS to ensure all armed forces leave Juba including members of the national security

services, excepting joint police units.

SOUTH SUDAN: Salva Kiir claims powers to appoint all governors, all state

legislators

JUBA (3 Oct., 2015) South Sudan's President Salva Kiir says that he has powers to appoint all governors of 28 new states that he created by

decree in place of the 10 constitutionally established states.

The order issued on Friday by the president says that the president “shall

appoint the state governors and state legislative assembly [in each state].”

In recent years, Kiir has already removed by decree eight of ten elected

governors – those of Jonglei, Lakes, Warrap, Northern Bahr al Ghazal, Upper Nile, Western Equatoria, Central Equatoria and Unity State.

Under the Transitional Constitution of 2011, Kiir has the power to relieve

state governors in cases of insecurity and threats to the national sovereignty of the country, but the caretaker governors that he appoints

may only serve for 60 days before a special election must be held in the

state.

In none of the eight states where Kiir removed the governors has such an election ever been held to legitimize the caretaker governor. Rather, some

caretaker governors have already ruled for several years.

The only two elected governors still serving in South Sudan are Governor

Rizig Zacharia of Western Bahr al Ghazal, and Governor Louis Lobong Lojore of Eastern Equatoria, who were elected in 2010 and whose terms

were extended by constitutional amendment.

Kiir's decree issued Friday eliminates Eastern Equatoria State and replaces it with two smaller states – Imatong and Lomurnyang states. The decree

truncates Western Bahr al Ghazal by splitting off Raja County, which is to be joined with two counties of Northern Bahr al Ghazal.

Similar changes will be made to all the other states, according to Kiir's decree.

The president's decree on Friday was titled the “Establishment Order

Number 36/2015 AD.” The order says that it come into force within 30 days.

The order defines “State Legislative Assembly” as a legislative body “which for the time being, shall be appointed by the President.”

SOUTH SUDAN "Peace will be realised and stability will be maintained" On February 11, 2016: former rebel leader Riek Machar has been appointed as South

Sudan's Vice President by the President Salva Kiir. In his interview with Newsday's Janet Ball he says he was surprised at his appointment but believes it's a step in the right direction. He says within 3 weeks, he should be able to take his position. South Sudan has been mired in conflict since December 2013, when clashes broke out between troops loyal to Kiir and soldiers backing Riek Machar, who previously held the vice president position.

SOUTH SUDAN: Failure of Government of South Sudan and Opposition to Form Transitional Government of National Unity (TGNU)

Press Statement by John Kirby Assistant Secretary and Department Spokesperson, Bureau of Public Affairs Washington, DC, April 24, 2016

The United States is disappointed by the continued failure of the Government of

South Sudan and by the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement -SPLM/A-IO (IO) to form the Transitional Government of National Unity (TGNU) and implement the

Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan.

Yesterday, the government denied landing permission to flights for the return of opposition leader Riek Machar. This interference resulted in the failure to meet

the deadline in the compromise proposal put forward by the regional and

international partners of the Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission that was agreed to by both sides. We have previously condemned obstruction by the

IO, including the arbitrary demand by Riek Machar that more forces and heavy weapons than was previously agreed precede his arrival to Juba.

Despite the best efforts by South Sudan’s neighbors, the Troika, United Nations

Mission in South Sudan, China, the African Union, the European Union and, most importantly, by South Sudanese advocating for peace, leaders on both sides have blocked progress.

The United States will continue to work with those who are sincerely committed

to implementing the Agreement, particularly its provisions for reform of the security sector and public finances and for reconciliation and accountability.

The scope of future U.S. engagement in helping South Sudan confront the

country's security, economic and development challenges, however, will depend on the parties demonstrating commitment to work together to implement the Agreement. We have been working intensively with our partners, especially

Ethiopia, to facilitate Riek Machar’s return. Given the actions by both sides to prevent or delay his return, it is now time for the parties to assume primary

responsibility for facilitating the return of Riek Machar to Juba to form the TGNU and to demonstrate that they are genuinely committed to peace.

COUNTRY FACT FILE

Location

In Sahel region of Northeastern Africa; south of the Sudan, north of

Uganda and Kenya, west of Ethiopia.

Offical title of the state

The Republic of South Sudan: previously known as South Sudan: is an

inland state located in east-central Africa.

Flag description:

Three equal horizontal bands of black (top), red, and green; the red band

is edged in white; a blue isosceles triangle based on the hoist side contains a gold, five-pointed star; black represents the people of South

Sudan, red the blood shed in the struggle for freedom, green the verdant land, and blue the waters of the Nile; the gold star represents the unity of

the states making up South Sudan. Note: resembles the flag of Kenya; one of only two national flags to display six colors as part of its primary

design, the other is South Africa's.

Neighbours

Central African Republic on S., the Congo on SW, Uganda on S., Kenya on

SE., Ethiopia on E., and Sudan-north on N. Land boundaries; total of 5,413 km. The newly born South Sudan borders with Central African

Repulic 990 km, the Congo 628 km, Uganda 435 km, Kenya 232 km,

Ethiopia 837 km, and Sudan 2184 km. Note: Note well! Sudan-SouthSudan boundary represents the 1st January, 1956 alignment: final

alignment pending negotiations and demarcation: final sovereignty status of Abyei border region pending negotiations beetween South Sudan and

the Sudan-North.Managing a new country with several competing interests. Striking an agreement with Khartoum on national boundaries,

citizenship issues and wealth sharing.

Local division

10 states, and capital county Juba (Mayor-council government): is the

capital and largest city of the Republic of South Sudan. It also serves as the capital of Central Equatoria, one of the ten states of South Sudan. The

city is situated on the White Nile and functions as the seat and metropolis of Juba County.

Government type

Republic-presidential

Legislation chamber

With a Legislative authority

Bicameral National Legislature consisting of of the National Legislative

Assembly 170 seats, and the council of states 48 seats, members serve four year terms.

Form of State

Multiparty system of government. The ex-rebel (SPLA) turned ruling-party, the Sudanese Peoples Liberation Movement (SPLM) would be

expected to far-form a de-facto government in forseeable future.

Executive branch

With broadly transformed executive authority.

The President is both chief of State and Head of government.

National council of Ministers appointed by the president and approved by a resolution from the legislative assembly. President elected by popular vote

for a four-year term. Constitutionally, the president of the Republic of South Sudan has the power to hire and fire state governors and dissolve

parliament. The 10-states are semi- autonomous, each with their own government and parliament. President, Vice-President and the Council of

Ministers, bicameral parliament.

Judicial chamber

Supreme Court, Courts of Appeal, High courts, County courts.

Capital city

Juba

Geographic coordinates 04.51N, 31.37E

Names of Main towns

Malakaal, Bari, Machak, Ramchak

Date of independence

Independence officially declared on 9th of July, 2011.

Religions (Major) Mainly traditional worship and Christianity with a Muslim

minority.

Main spoken languages

No dominant language in South Sudan. Dinka & Nuer are the largest local languages. English as foreign wooing language, and the official language

of the government. A dialect of Arabic also widely spoken.

Currency unit

Sudanese Pound (SP) = 100 cents

Area in km2

644. 329. 00 km2

Country area comparison in Africa

18 out of 55 states.

Demographic terms;

Average annual population growth rate 2.150

Birth rate 38.50 births per 1,000 population.

Death rate 16.5 deaths per 1,000 population.

Male 48. 45 years Female 50.95 years

Average life expectancy 49.68 years

Illiteracy rate (%)

Male: 62, Female: 64

Average per capita income

USD 1, 200

Population density

14/km2

Urban population (%)

14

Contributor groups (%)

Farming, fishing: NA, Industry: NA, Social service: NA

Main export Items

Oil-crude, live-Animals, timber log.

Economy is based on

Mainly cattle raising, Oil-crude, Livestock and hides. After decades of war, South Sudan remains underdeveloped. As it gains independence, the

country has a major task of development its infrastructure, plus export products to avoid over-reliance on oil.

Climate

Equatorial; hot with seasonal rainfall influenced by the annual shift of the inter-tropical convergence zone: rainfall is heaviest in the upland areas of

the South and diminished to the North.

Extremes;-

Lowest point; unknown location

Highest point; Kinyeti 3. 187 metres.

Weather of the capital city (Juba) average annual temprature 32 o C

Altitude 550 m (1,800 ft)

Hottest month Feruary 21-34

Coldest month July-August 21-29

Wettest month July 226 mm average Rf.

Driest month December 5mm average Rf.

Measures

Metric system & Local measures

Time zone

1 hour ahead of GMT/UTC

Public holidays

9th of July, All christian & traditional holidays

Ethnic groups

Dinka-Ngok 37%, Nuer 20%, Azande 8%, Bari 5%, Shiluk/Anuak 3%. In

South Sudan there is no dominant culture. Dinka-Ngok and the Nuers are

the largest tribes of more than 200 ethnic-groups, each with it's own

traditional beliefs and languages.

Topographic & environmental concern

Inadequate supplies of potable water, soil erosion, desertification, periodic

drought, South Sudan has about 82 million hectares of lands surface, but only 4% of the total land is well-cultivated. It's covered by green swathes

of grasslands, swamplands, and tropical forests. The Sudd is a vast swampy area in South Sudan formed by the white-Nile, comprising more

than 15% of the total area of South Sudan, it is one of the world's largest

wetlands. Environment: NA

Economic Overview;-

Long based on subsistence agriculture, South Sudan's economy is now highly oil-dependent. While an estimated 75% of all the former Sudan's oil

reserves are in South Sudan, the refineries and the pipeline to the Red

Sea are in Sudan.

Under the 2005 accord, South Sudan received 50% of the former united Sudan's oil proceeds, which provide the vast bulk of the country's budget.

But that arrangement was set to expire with independence.

In January 2012, the breakdown of talks on the sharing of oil revenues led

South Sudan to halt oil production and halve public spending on all but salaries.

A deal in March 2013 provided for Sudan to resume pumping South

Sudanese oil in May, and created a demilitarised border zone.

Despite the potential oil wealth, South Sudan is one of Africa's least

developed countries. However, the years since the 2005 peace accord ushered in an economic revival and investment in utilities and other

infrastructure.

Industry

Petroleum crude, timber-logging.

Chief cropes

Cotton, maize, rice, millet, wheat, tobacco, gum-Arabic, sugarcane,

mangoes, papayas, bananas, sweet-potatoes, sun-flower, sesame, cassava, beans, peanuts, cattle, sheep, timber in logs.

Natural resources

Hydro-power, fertile farmlands, gold, diamonds, uranium, timber, Oil-reserve, limestone, iron ore, copper, chromium ore, zinc, tungsten, mica,

silver, and vast unexploited agricultural land. South Sudan's livestock population is believed to be one of the largest in the world.

Land in use (%)

Arable land: NA

Grassland: NA

Forest woods: NA

Other: NA

Marine

Coastline – None

Commercial Sea port:--

An Inland State, uses mainly Kenyan ports of Mombassa and the new port of Lamu for it's Import-exportation.

Development prospect;-

The world's newest state faces internal and external rebellions as it seeks to exert its authority and create the machinery of governance.

government relies on the income from about 370,000 barrels per day (bpd) of oil production, which it continues to export through the north. A

post-independence agreement on pipeline and export fees has been elusive. Along the border, both north and south Sudan continue to grapple

with rebellions, and each side believes that its rebels are receiving support from the opposing government. This could easily lead to a blockade in

cross-border trade imposed by the north, as it did in April 2011, and to

food and fuel shortages in the south.

The GoSS hopes to benefit from the regional dynamism of East Africa and filed for membership of the East African Community in 2011. Finding the

climate in Juba inhospitable for expansion, the government also decided in September that the capital will be moved 100km north to Ramciel in Lakes

State within a couple of years. A lack of physical and human capital is the biggest obstacle to growth. The country – the size of France – has only

about 100km of paved roads, the primary school completion rate is 10 percent and more than half of the population lives below the poverty line.

After the country launched the new South Sudan pound in August, the

annual inflation rate hit 61.5 percent in September on the back of rising agricultural prices. The government has requested the help of the IMF and

other donors to train staff at the Bank of South Sudan and other crucial institutions. Donor finance will be needed for projects in the first three-

year development programme. The government wants to break the economy's dependence on oil and has identified areas such as agriculture,

livestock, forestry and fisheries as prime targets for investment. To assert independence from the north, it has plans to join up the infrastructure to

Kenya's pipeline network. It also signed a murky oil-marketing deal with Switzerland-based Glencore in July, worrying transparency campaigners. A

new national oil company will soon be in operation. Many international investors are waiting until north-south tensions are resolved and the

government creates the necessary business and investment regulations.

However, a 2011 Norwegian People's Aid report said that foreign firms are

buying up large tracts of land in spite of the uncertainty.