(Sudan Tribune 06/17/13)
Addis Ababa — Ethiopian-based Eritrean opposition group, the Eritrean Islamic Reform Movement, on Saturday reiterated allegations that Sudanese authorities have arrested eight of its leading members. The group's leader in Addis Ababa, Mohamed Nur, told Sudan Tribune that the movement's members and leaders were detained on 8 June from their homes in Kassala town. Nur said they were detained after Sudanese security forces raided their homes early on Saturday at about 7:30am [local time]. "We have no Idea why they were arrested and we don't know where they are being held", he said. Abdel-Gadir Mohamed, the group's military wing chief, was among those arrested, the opposition official further said. It is not yet clear why the members were detained, but...
(AFP (eng) 06/15/13)
JOHANNESBURG, June 15, 2013 (AFP) - Nelson Mandela is a very lonely man, one of his bodyguards told AFP Saturday, accusing the ailing anti-apartheid icon's medical team of controlling visits like prison guards. As South Africa and the rest of the world held its breath a week after the revered 94-year-old was hospitalised, Shaun van Heerden spoke out against the team run by army Surgeon-General Vejay Ramlakan. "At times it felt like he was back in prison," Van Heerden said. The bodyguard said he was "given leave" by his employers over accusations he leaked the place where Mandela was being treated to the media. Before he was checked in last week to receive treatment for a recurring lung infection, in...
(CNN 06/15/13)
(CNN) -- I was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, in 1964, the year Martin Luther King Jr. was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, the Civil Rights Act was passed in the United States, and Nelson Mandela was sentenced to life in prison. Mine was a relatively idyllic childhood in the affluent and segregated northern suburbs of Johannesburg. Like many white South Africans, I lived in an ignorant cocoon of privilege, with no idea that having two live-in maids, a full-time gardener and a driver was unusual. It was perfectly normal for my African nannies, Rosina and Phina, to live with us rather than with their own children, and there was no need to learn their language or even their last...
(Shabait 06/14/13)
Asmara, 14 June 2013 – Presidents Isaias Afwerki and Field Marshal Omar Hassan Al-Beshir yesterday held the first round of talks at the State House focusing on fostering bilateral relations and issues of mutual interest to both countries. In line with the prevailing strong ties and cooperation, the two leaders conducted in-depth discussion pertaining to the reinforcement of programs that would give higher impetus to the existing bilateral cooperation in the domains of trade, transport, tourism, education and health. Moreover, they agreed to further deepen and strengthen the on-going cooperation between the neighboring Eritrean and Sudanese regions under the guidance and follow-up of both leaders. Meanwhile, President Omar Hassan Al-Beshir and members of his delegation today attended prayer service at...
(Xinhuanet 06/14/13)
South Sudan here called on Sudan not to threaten the implementation of agreements, including oil agreement reached between the two neighboring countries in September last year. Pagan Amum, Chief Negotiator of South Sudan, made the remarks on Thursday in Addis Ababa while briefing reporters, focusing on the recent announcement by Sudan to stop oil exportation of South Sudan through Sudan's infrastructure. South Sudan is surprised by the statement of Sudan threatening oil shut down, said the negotiator. "The oil agreement is very clear; the terms are very clear and its implementation should not be conditioned to other things," said Amum. "The two countries after suppression have been engaged in negotiations and reached agreements in September last year. And that agreement,...
(AFP (eng) 06/14/13)
South Sudan's army on Friday rejected any involvement in an explosion in a Sudanese oil pipeline in the disputed Abyei area, after being accused by Khartoum of backing rebels. "It is an outright fabricated lie," South Sudan deputy army spokesman Malaak Ayuen told AFP, adding that the only news he had of Wednesday's blast was from media reports. Ayuen had no direct information of the attack, he said, because his men were south of Abyei, which lies on the border between the nations. Sudan's army has blamed the explosion in the Difra region on rebels it said were given technical support by South Sudan's army. "We do not support any rebel forces and we do not have any of our...
(AFP (eng) 06/14/13)
Shells hit a United Nations base in Sudan's troubled South Kordofan state on Friday, killing one peacekeeper and wounding two more, a UN spokesman said. But local residents suspect anti-government rebels hit the base by mistake as they were aiming for a nearby football stadium scheduled to host the opening matches of a regional tournament on Tuesday. Two shells struck a UN logistics base in South Kordofan's capital Kadugli, UN peacekeeping spokesman Kieran Dwyer told AFP. Rebels have been fighting Sudanese forces in the state for the past two years and the UN says there is a major humanitarian crisis there. "One United Nations peacekeeper was killed in this shelling and two more injured. We condemn in the strongest terms...
(AFP (eng) 06/14/13)
KHARTOUM, June 14, 2013 (AFP) - Shells hit a United Nations base in Sudan's troubled South Kordofan state on Friday, killing one peacekeeper and wounding two more, a UN spokesman said. But local residents suspect anti-government rebels hit the base by mistake as they were aiming for a nearby football stadium scheduled to host the opening matches of a regional tournament on Tuesday. Two shells struck a UN logistics base in South Kordofan's capital Kadugli, UN peacekeeping spokesman Kieran Dwyer told AFP. Rebels have been fighting Sudanese forces in the state for the past two years and the UN says there is a major humanitarian crisis there. "One United Nations peacekeeper was killed in this shelling and two more injured...
(Sudan Tribune 06/14/13)
June 13, 2013 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudan Revolutionary Front (SRF) has its eye set on the capital Khartoum as part of a new plan that is based on part on coordination with political opposition groups, a senior Sudanese official said today. Nafie Ali Nafie, the deputy chairman of the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) who is also presidential assistant, told the Khartoum state legislative assembly that SRF chairman Malik Agar sent a letter to South Sudan government outlining his new military strategy nicknamed ’Plan B’. He said that ’Plan B’ was drafted after SRF lost Abu-Kershola area in South Kordofan to Sudan army in late May following a one month occupation. The letter stressed the need to "localize" SRF elements...
(BBC News Africa 06/14/13)
Rebels based in South Sudan have attacked an oil pipeline in the disputed Abyei region, Khartoum says, amid worsening relations with its neighbour. The fire in the Diffra oil field lasted for several hours before being extinguished, an army spokesman said. The spokesman blamed the attack on rebels from Darfur, saying they had crossed the border from South Sudan.Both rebels and the South have reportedly denied responsibility.The accusations comes days after Sudan ordered oil companies to block South Sudan's oil from going through its pipelines to export terminals.The blockade, which takes effect in 60 days, was imposed after Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir accused the South of backing rebels. South Sudan denies the charges and in turn accuses Khartoum of supporting...
(Voice of America 06/14/13)
ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA — South Sudan is not preparing to shut down its oil production, despite threats from Sudan’s president to cut off transportation in a continuing dispute over support for rebels. South Sudan is calling on the African Union to intervene. South Sudan is continuing oil production in spite of an order from Sudan’s president, Omar al-Bashir, to stop oil shipments through pipelines in the north. Pagan Amum, chief negotiator for South Sudan in the ongoing talks between the two countries, said South Sudan is surprised by the recent threats. “There is no shutdown as we speak. There is no reason, there is no cause for it because the oil agreement is very clear. The terms are very clear,...
(Voice of America 06/14/13)
GENEVA — One week ahead of World Refugee Day (June 20), the United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR is kicking off a campaign to highlight the impact of war on families. International celebrities are lining up in support of the millions of refugees who have been forced to flee their homes, but harbor dreams of resuming the lives they left behind. The campaign runs until the end of the year. Several celebrity videos that show how warfare can change a family’s future in just one minute. But, the video does not just send out a message of despair, it holds out the hope of a better life for refugees even in the midst of hardship. Chief of Strategic Communications at UNHCR,...
(AFP (eng) 06/13/13)
KHARTOUM, June 13, 2013 (AFP) - Sudan's army on Thursday blamed South Sudanese-backed rebels for an explosion and fire in a Sudanese oil pipeline in the disputed Abyei area. "This group received technical support from South Sudan's army to help them explode the pipeline... which led to a fire that has now been controlled," army spokesman Sawarmi Khaled Saad said in a statement. The allegation of the South's involvement comes two days after Sudan's petroleum ministry formally told oil companies to block exports of South Sudanese crude within 60 days, reigniting tensions after weeks of calm between the two nations. Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir said Khartoum will not allow export revenue from South Sudanese oil "to be used in support...
(AFP (eng) 06/13/13)
South Sudan has urged the African Union to help resolve a bitter dispute with former civil war foes Sudan, after Khartoum ordered oil pipelines to be shut and accusing Juba of backing rebels. "Our president and the government of South Sudan is calling on the African Union to intervene," Juba's lead negotiator Pagan Amum told reporters, speaking after meetings at AU headquarters in the Ethiopian capital. Sudan formally told oil companies on Tuesday to block exports of South Sudanese crude within 60 days, following an order from President Omar al-Bashir. "As we speak the oil is flowing, what Sudan has made so far is a threat," Amum said, adding Juba is ready to meet with Khartoum's officials at any time...
(Sudan Tribune 06/13/13)
Khartoum — The Sudanese president Omer Hassan al-Bashir today issued a decree granting amnesty to five individuals accused of taking part in a coup attempt thwarted last year by Khartoum. Bashir twice issued decrees over the last two months pardoning and commuting sentences for army and security officers convicted in connection with the coup. However, the Sudanese president excluded his former adviser and ex-director of National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) Salah Gosh who remains in jail without charges. Sources with knowledge of the ongoing investigation into the recent coup attempt have told Sudan Tribune that Gosh and the four security officers detained with him refused to demand the presidential pardon as it was done by the military. The Sudanese...
(Gurtong Net 06/13/13)
JUBA, 13 June 2013 [Gurtong] - Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, the AU Commission Chairperson held talks with Sudanese Foreign Minister Ali Ahmed Karti, an AU statement released said. AU Commissioner Ramtane Lamamra for Peace and Security exclusively held talks with Mr. Pagan Amum, South Sudan Chief Negotiator in the AUHIP-led process. The AU leadership separately discussed challenges marring the implementation of the Cooperation Agreement and called for committed leadership on the deal. Dlamini together with Ali Ahmed exchanged views on a number of African issues in the light of the collective resolve and endeavour to promote African solutions to Africa’s problems in the spirit of African Renaissance. Juba and Khartoum in September last year inked the Cooperation Agreement after presser...
(Sudan Tribune 06/13/13)
Khartoum — The leader of the opposition National Umma Party (NUP), Al-Sadig Al-Mahdi, has distanced himself from the 100-day plan to overthrow the government which was adopted last week by the opposition umbrella National Consensus forces (NCF). Al-Mahdi said at a press conference on Wednesday that the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) has to choose between sitting at round table with all opposition forces to resolve the issues of the country and forming a transitional government or facing a popular uprising and peaceful protests. The former Prime Minister also announced a new initiative to change the regime through collecting a million signature and organizing sit-ins in public squares and He pointed out that the initiative will be implemented expeditiously to...
(Sudan Tribune 06/13/13)
Sudanese president Omer Al-Bashir begins on Thursday a three-day visit to Asmara where he will hold meetings with the Eritrean president Isaias Afwerki over bilateral relations between the two neighbours. According to the Sudanese presidency Bashir’s delegation includes his presidency’ affairs minister Bakri Hassan Saleh, foreign affairs minister Ali Karti and the director of intelligence and security services Mohamed Atta. "The two leaders will discuss the path of bilateral relations and ways to enhance joint cooperation between the two countries", reported the state news agency SUNA on Wednesday. This week, Al-Ayam newspaper disclosed that Afwerki had refused to allow SPLM-N rebels to open a new front against Bashir’s regime in eastern Sudan from his western border. The independent daily reported...
(The Associated Press 06/13/13)
Sudan's official news agency says the country's president has ordered the closure of pipelines exporting South Sudanese oil. The Sudan news agency SUNA quoted President Omar al-Bashir as telling a public rally in the capital Khartoum on Saturday that the move was in response to South Sudan's funding of rebels fighting his regime. The Sudan news agency quoted al-Bashir as saying the "decision follows careful study of all its consequences and repercussions." South Sudan, which became independent of Khartoum in 2011, has denied supporting rebels. The two sides had just agreed in March to resume crude exports after a shutdown caused by disputes over oil transit fees. South Sudan must export its oil to international markets through pipelines owned by...
(Ethiopian Radio and Television Agency 06/13/13)
Sudan's annual inflation rate has decreased from 41.4 percent in April to 37.1 percent in May - the lowest level in a year - as increases in food prices slowed, official data showed on Monday. Inflation rates have remained high since South Sudan seceded in 2011, taking three-quarters of Sudan's oil production and the main source of budget revenues and dollars needed to pay for food imports. The annual inflation rate was 15 percent in June 2011, the last data before the secession. Food and drinks costs, which make up 52.9 percent of the index, rose by 31.6 percent in May year-on-year, compared to 36.9 percent in April, the central statistical bureau said in its monthly bulletin. Cost rises for...