United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) Media & Spokesperson Unit Communications & Public Information Office MEDIA MONITORING REPORT

THURSDAY, 31 OCTOBER 2013 SOUTH SUDAN, SUDAN  Over 99% of Abyei's Dinka vote to join South Sudan: result (Agence France Presse (AFP)  Misseriya slam Juba for not preventing Abyei unilateral referendum (Sudantribune.com) SOUTH SUDAN  Court dismisses Pagan’s case against Kiir (Radio Miraya)  Four arrested after man was beaten (Radio Miraya)  Parliament ratifies African legal support facility agreement (Catholic Radio Network)  Member states re-affirmed commitment to Nile basin cooperation (Gurtong.net)  ICT powers development, says President Salva Kiir (News Agency South Sudan (NASS)  UNMISS hands over projects to government (Gurtong.net)  Japan avails $ 21 million to support the poor (Gurtong.net)  Health Minister urges NGOs to mobilize resources in Juba County (Bakhita Radio)  3,100 Rumbek North flood-affected families need assistance (Catholic Radio Network)  Relief items reach flood victims in Aweil and Kuajok (Radio Miraya)  JRS donates printing machine to Tombura-Yambio diocese (Anisa Radio)  ECS bishop tells government to recognise private schools (Easter Radio)  Mukaya road construction face challenges (Easter Radio)  Wau diocese starts training on justice (Gurtong.net)  Ministry to launch assessment on existence of rift valley fever (Gurtong.net)  No polio in South Sudan -- officials (Voice of America)  Disease threatens South Sudan’s key crops, farmers on the brink (Theniles.org) OTHER HEADLINES  SPLM-N announces the formation of new administration in S. Kordofan (Sudantribune.com)  Sudan to reopen Sky news Arabia & lifts publication ban on al-Intibaha (Sudantribune.com)  Faction of Sudanese Islamists to establish new party (Sudantribune.com)  Experts demand lift of American embargo on Sudan (Sudanvisiondaily.com)  UN says more troops needed to fight al-Shabab (Al-Jazeera.net)  UN warning over millions of teenage mothers (BBC News)  US says it is not spying on UN communications (Voice of America)  Amount of lies increase in afternoon – research (Radio the Voice of Russia) OPINION/ANALYSIS/COMMENTARY/EDITORIAL  South Sudan's 'bullet-bangle' artists make art out of War (Voice of America)  Friends in despair (Al-Ahram Weekly)  What does the unilateral referendum for Abyei mean for the state's people? (African Arguments/AllAfirca.com)  The defining moment for Abyei’s Ngok Dinka(Sudantribune.com) LINKS TO STORIES FROM THE MORNING MEDIA MONITOR  Ambassador Rahamtalla to visit Juba (Sudan News Agency)  Abdulla Deng calls on Misseriya and Ngok Dinka to stand side by side for Abyei (Sudan News Agency)  SUNA Forum to host Youth Organisation for Defence of Abyei (Sudan News Agency)  Assembly suspends debate on Kiir’s amendments to media acts (Catholic Radio Network)  Northern Bahr el Ghazal governor shields rejection to parliamentary changes (Sudantribune.com) NOTE: Reproduction here does not mean that the UNMISS Communications & Public Information Office can vouch for the accuracy or veracity of the contents, nor does this report reflect the views of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan. Furthermore, international copyright exists on some materials and this summary should not be disseminated beyond the intended list of recipients.

 Boat operators warned against overloading (Radio Miraya)  DDR turns freedom fighters into developers (Emmanual Radio)  Uganda-South Sudan trade disrupted as border market floods again (Sudantribune.com)

Highlights

Over 99% of Abyei's Dinka vote to join South Sudan: result Agence France Presse (AF), Juba, 31/10/2013 – Residents of contested region Abyei chose overwhelmingly to join South Sudan in an unofficial referendum, election officials said Thursday, although only one of two groups voted and the poll is not recognised by either Khartoum or Juba. "The referendum committee has announced the results, and the number of people who have chosen to become part of South Sudan is 99.9 percent of the vote," Luka Biong, spokesman for the Abyei Referendum High Committee, told AFP. (Back to Top)

Sudan’s Misseriya slam Juba for not preventing Abyei unilateral referendum Sudantribune.com Khartoum, 30/10/2013 – 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. 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, The National Youth and Student Organisation for Abyei (NYSOA), members of the National Congress Party 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. 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.

2 Hussein, who is a member of the Popular Congress Party of Hassan Al-Turabi, said the failure of the two governments 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 mean he had sympathy for those who organised a referendum in Abyei. (Back to Top)

Court dismisses Pagan’s case against Kiir Radio Miraya, 30/10/2013 – The Supreme Court has dismissed as an ‘internal matter’ a petition by the suspended Secretary General of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement, Pagan Amum, against the party chairman Salva Kiir. The court ruled that the case, in which Pagan challenged a travel and media ban imposed on him after his suspension in July, was an administrative matter that should be addressed in the party’s political bureau, the party's highest decision making organ. The verdict was issued on Wednesday in a session presided over by Deputy Chief Justice, Robin Madol, and two senior judges. Pagan was accused of insubordination for using the public media to discredit the party and its leadership, among others. A five-member committee, led by Vice President James Wani Igga, was tasked with investigating allegations that Pagan mismanaged the affairs of the SPLM, both administratively and politically. (Back to Top)

Four arrested after man was beaten Radio Miraya, 30/10/2013 – Police have arrested four suspects in connection with the killing of a man in New Site residential area in Juba on Tuesday night. The men were arrested as they allegedly tried to escape the scene of the incident. Police spokesperson Col. James Monday Enoka, said the four men were in detention as investigations continue. “Four criminals went into a house in New Site and called the owner by name and when he came out they beat him and they left him dead,” he told Radio Miraya. “When people came, they started running. The police came in and started to follow them and arrested them with the stolen property which is a computer laptop.” A case has been opened at Munuki police station, where an investigation is taking place, he said. (Back to Top)

Parliament ratifies African legal support facility agreement Catholic Radio Network, 30/10/2013 – The National Legislative Assembly on Wednesday unanimously ratified Agreement for the Establishment of African Legal Support Facility. Acting Speaker Victor Omuho Ohidei announced the ratification to the House. MP John Luk Jok told the House that the agreement benefits the country in legal capacity building and solving complicated contracts with the African Development Bank. MP Mary Kiden Kimbo together with others called for reservation in assenting to the agreement. She cited economic costs involved and contradictions in some clauses of the agreement, stating compulsory and voluntary contributions at the same time. (Back to Top)

Member states re-affirmed commitment to Nile basin cooperation Gurtong.net Rumbek, 30/10/2013 – The Strategic Dialogue between the Nile Basin Initiative (NBI) and its primary donors has ended on Tuesday with a call from participants for a renewed commitment to invest in an all-inclusive Nile cooperation and to sustain the gains so far.

3 The Chairperson of the Nile Council of Ministers who is also South Sudan’s Minister of Electricity, Water and Irrigation, Jemma Nunu Kumba noted that while NBI has achieved a lot in the last 14 years and a lot still needs to be done to realize the shared vision. Member States re-affirmed their commitment to and ownership of the Nile cooperative process and the sustainability of the NBI institutions. They called on Development partners to continue their unwavering support towards achieving the Member States’ development agenda. Development partners pledged to work with NBI to enhance the institutional and financial mechanisms necessary to deepen the Nile cooperative process. Participants underscored the importance of realizing benefits of Nile cooperation including investment projects. This year’s annual event held from 28th to 29th October, 2013 was attended by members of the Nile Technical Advisory Committee (Nile-TAC) representing the ten NBI Member States, representatives of NBI’s Development Partners, the Nile Basin Discourse, Global Water Partnership Eastern Africa as well as Management of NBI. (Back to Top)

ICT powers development, says President Salva Kiir News Agency South Sudan (NASS) Kigali -Rwanda, 31/10/2013 – South Sudan may be the youngest country in Africa however its efforts to promote and establish an Information and Communication Technology (ICT) driven economy are high on the government’s development agenda, President Salva Kiir Mayardit said on Tuesday. H.E President Kiir while deliberating in the just concluded Transform Africa Summit held in Kigali, Rwanda on October 29 said his Government has signed an agreement with the government of Kenya to have the fibre optic construction from its coastal town of Mombasa extended to South Sudan. He said this would connect the country within itself and the rest of the World. ICT powers development, it creates jobs for the youth, he said. On his part, the host President Paul Kagame said as a measure of achieving Africa’s developmental targets, the summit aimed at underscoring the key role ICT plays in today’s World. He called for partnership between Governments, companies and private sector in promoting ICT stressing that it is the only way for Africa can compete effectively with the rest of the world. (Back to Top)

UNMISS hands over projects to government Gurtong.net Torit, 30/10/2013 – The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) in collaboration with the South Sudan’s National Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration commission (NDDRC) successfully handed over reinsertion projects to the community in Eastern Equatoria state. The projects are within Tiriangore Boma in Hiyala Payam of Torit County and they include two readily constructed reinsertion projects; one Primary School and one Primary health Care Centre. The handover was held at Tiriangore Boma, were the national DDRC chairperson William Deng Deng, Governor Louis Lobong Lojore, National UNMISS’ representatives’ , UNMISS-DDR section’s officer-in-Charge’s Mustapha Tejan-Kella, and the UNMISS Coordinator Ms. Hiroko Hirahara Mosko witnessed the event. Speaking at the occasion during the handover, the national DDRC chairperson William Deng Deng strongly underscored the importance of the reinsertion of the two projects saying it will unquestionably help the local government of Tiriangore deliver services to the surrounding communities.

4 He urged the locals to remember the role the DDR programme has played so far shortly after the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, CPA, CPA Interim Period and post CPA era leading to present independence of the Country; South Sudan. The DDRC chair Deng noted that his commission is not just about disarmament and demobilization, but it contributes to the security sector transformation through provision of services such as education and health care in the community. He said that the insertion projects will significantly contribute to security and stability not only for ex-combatants but also to the community at large. “On behalf of the national DDRC and my own, I would like to register great appreciation to UNMISS for its continued support to overall DDR programme in South Sudan,” he said. At a total of $ 265,000, the national DDR Commission and UNMISS DDR section, through the UNMISS DDR reinsertion projects funds, supported the construction leading to successful completion of the Primary School and Primary health Care Centre at Tiriangore Boma. The two facilities were constructed successfully through a local CBO, Tiriangore Community Association. About 250 local members directly benefited through employment on daily basis, officials disclosed. Designed to accommodate up to 160 pupils, the Tiriangore Primary School has a fully furnished four-classroom block with a kitchen, a store and borehole. Describing them as ‘huge support’, the state governor Louis Lobong Lojore assured to the UNIMSS that his government was grateful for their tangible donations being felt. He told the local community beneficiaries of the Tiriangore to maintain and utilize the donated facilities telling they are incredibly blessed to acquire such donations of tangible facilities. Also speaking at the event was the EES’ UNMISS Coordinator’s Ms. Hiroko Hirahara Mosko praised the state government alongside the beneficiary community for supporting their DDR programme saying the reinsertion projects have established excellent relations with UNMISS. The Torit county commissioner German Charles Ojok advised the beneficiary community of Tiriangore to demonstrate generosity over the constructed primary school and health facility since surrounding inhabitants will always need them for basic services, therefore they have to share as brothers and sisters. “The two facilities will not serve the Tiriangore community only but will also serve the neighbouring communities in the vicinity; the two facilities must be used as to bring common understanding,” he expressed. The state Director for the NDDRC, Achomo Mary Buyu, explained about the benefit that her Commission offers in serving all the communities so the Health Ministry will then be able to introduce immunization programme for children to reduce child mortality rate. According to officials, the UNMISS DDR funds, a series of Community projects chosen by community members themselves, funding reached $ 1,182,605 which is equivalent to SSP 5,426,000 that covers 15 projects that is 7 in Mapel, 5 in Pariak and 3 in EES and these were community based reinsertion projects whose aim to help support communities in areas around the originally proposed three DDR Training Centres in the Country. (Back to Top)

Japan avails $ 21 million to support the poor Gurtong.net Torit, 30/10/2013 – The Japan government is to avail $ 21 million to support about 23,000 poor households by putting it in place building blocks and a social protection system in four states. The four-year donation has an objective to provide access to income opportunities and temporary employment to the poor and vulnerable, the Eastern Equatoria State Labour, Public Service and Human Resource Development Minister Lorika Stella Brenda told Gurtong.

5 The government of South Sudan in collaboration with state governments will be implementing the Safety Nets and Skill Development Project (SNSDP). The minister registered appreciation to the World Bank for its financial commitment saying she is so grateful because the poor will now benefit as she urges them to get prepared to appropriately and profitably receive the package for business start-up. Speaking to Gurtong on Tuesday in Torit, the National Director General of Vocational Training in the National Ministry of Labour, Public Service and Human Resource Development clarified that the Safety Nets and skill development project aims at benefiting 25,000 poor households in the next three to four years. He added that out of the targeted 25,000 poor households, 21,500 and 3,500 beneficiaries will benefit the program through public works and skills development in the next three years. The project covers four states namely Jonglei (Bor and Ayod Counties), Warrap (Gogrial West and Tonj South Counties), Eastern Equatoria (Torit and Kapoeta East Counties) and Central Equatoria (Juba), revealed the World Bank representative Naotaka Sawada who accompanied the National Director General of Vocational Training in the National Ministry of Labour, Public Service and Human Resource Development. He elaborated that the project has three components, the first being social protection system and project management that will provide support to government to develop a social protection policy and necessary implementation and coordination capacity. While the second component which is public works, will provide income for youth and women from poor households through a seasonal transfer, linked to participation in public works, in order to increase and sustain household assets and smooth consumption during lean seasons, the third component according to Sawada, is skills development, will provide rural and urban poor youth males as well as females whose ages lie between 18 and 30 years belonging to vulnerable households with access to livelihood opportunities through comprehensive skills development training comprised of technical, entrepreneurship and life skills. Officials clarified that the South Sudan Development Plan (SSDP) 2011-2013, identifies the importance of social protection in the achievement of the country’s development objectives under its social and human development pillar saying this project is the first social protection intervention to be implemented by the national government. They revealed that the project is directly related to South Sudan Interim Strategy Note (ISN) for financial year 2013/2014 which focuses on helping the country move forward from fragility to stability. Implementing Ministries The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Irrigation, Cooperatives and Rural Development (MoAFCRD) is the lead Ministry for implementation. While the Ministry of Gender, Child and Social Welfare, would coordinate the social protection policy development, MoAFCRD would lead the coronation of public works and the Ministry of Labour, Public Service and Human Resource Development would support the skills development. At the national level, a project steering committee (PSC) chaired by the National Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning would provide overall guidance. The MoAFCRD would have overall fiduciary and project management responsibilities and manage and coordinate this project in a professional manner. A technical support team will be established within the MoAFCRD at the national level to be staffed with a team of consultants as well as government assigned personnel. The project locations were selected through a consultative process with government at both national and state levels in collaboration with key stakeholders. (Back to Top)

Health Minister urges NGOs to mobilize resources in Juba County

6 Bakhita Radio Juba, 31/10/2013 – National Health Minister urged two international NGOs to mobilize resources for health improvement in Juba County. Riek Gai Kok formed a four-member committee to work jointly with the Maternal and Child Health Care International and Norwegian People’s Aid or NPA to coordinate minor renovation works and supply of laboratory equipment, Bakhita Radio reported. He promised to transfer doctors to Malakia, Kator and Munuki primary health care centres to reduce the workload at Juba Teaching Hospital. Juba City Deputy Mayor Festus Abdulziz James promised to fence primary health care centres in Juba as planned by former Mayor Alhaj Babbalah for security. Maternal and Child Health International program manager Edward Eremugo Luka said his organization would coordinate with NPA and government to help solve health problems in Juba. The appeal followed a health assessment tour in nine health facilities in Juba County by national and state health officials and NGOs together with the Deputy Mayor on Wednesday. (Back to Top)

3,100 Rumbek North flood-affected families need assistance Catholic Radio Network, 31/10/2013 – 3,100 families affected by floods in Maper and Malueth Payams of Rumbek North County, Lakes State, are in urgent need of assistance. UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Aid or UNOCHA reported that humanitarian partners secured an aircraft to conduct an inter-agency assessment in the two flood-affected Payams. The UN agency added that the flood-affected communities will receive household materials and food assistance. Since early August, access by land to Rumbek North was impossible due to floods. Approximately half of Rumbek North was still flooded and aid agencies could reach the affected communities only by air. UNOCHA said aid reached over 117 thousand of the nearly 200 thousand flood-affected people across the country despite access difficulties. (Back to Top)

Relief items reach flood victims in Aweil and Kuajok Radio Miraya, 30/10/2013 – The first consignment of relief items have reached flood victims in Aweil, Northern Bahr el Ghazal State, and Gogrial West and Gogrial East counties in Warrap State. Speaking to Journalists in Aweil, State Acting Minister for Social development, Mareng Chuor Deng, said three trucks loaded with humanitarian assistance have arrived and another truck is expected to arrive on Wednesday. “We received, three trucks with an assorted number of non-food items including blankets, mosquito net and tents,” he said. “These are donations from the central government, through humanitarian affairs. The information we have so far is that they are supposed to be four trucks; one truck is on the way and there is a possibility that it will arrive today.” Another consignment of food and non-food items has been dispatched from Juba on the same day to flood affected communities in Gogrial West and Gogrial East counties of Warrap State. The relief materials amounting to 6.5 metric tons include plastic sheeting, mosquito nets and tents. The Under Secretary in the Ministry of Gender and Humanitarian Affairs, Taban Dominic, told Radio Miraya that the items were flown to Kwajok. “These items are meant for Gogorial West and East, these are some of the areas devastated by floods so the population is in need of shelter and mosquito nets.” (Back to Top)

7 JRS donates printing machine to Tombura-Yambio diocese Anisa Radio, 30/10/2013 – The Jesuit Refugee Service or JRS on Tuesday handed over a digital printing machine to the education department of Tombura-Yambio Catholic diocese. Tombura-Yambio Bishop Eduardo Hiiboro Kusala thanked JRS saying God blessed them for giving a printing machine to the diocese, Anisa Radio reported. He said Western Equatoria children are smiling because they will do their exams in printed sheets. The Bishop described the machine as a wonderful gift. Bishop Hiiboro added that JRS touched the life of the diocese because they targeted areas that people pay less attention to in the diocese and the whole state. He promised to be a watchdog to guarantee proper maintenance of the machine. Bishop Hiiboro encouraged all schools in the diocese and the state to access the machine and print their examination papers. JRS Yambio Project Director Aiden Azairwe said the aim of purchasing the machine was to facilitate printing of examination papers in order to keep references for younger children in the future. Mr Azairwe said JRS accompanied the printing machine with 100 reams of papers, ink, master screen accessories and a full desktop computer. (Back to Top)

ECS bishop tells government to recognise private schools Easter Radio, 31/10/2013 – An Episcopal Church of Sudan Bishop appealed to the Government to recognise the role played by private and church schools in promoting quality education in the country. Bishop Hillary Luate Adeba of Immanuel Diocese-Yei said faith schools are able to perform well because they are set on Christian values with no mismanagement of funds and high moral discipline instilled to learners, Easter Radio reported. Bishop Luate called on the Government to supply teaching materials to the private schools in order to achieve a strong and vibrant education system nationwide. The Bishop made the remarks during the official launching of an education project for Yei and Morobo counties under the theme “Together strengthening effective education delivery and management.” (Back to Top)

Mukaya road construction face challenges Easter Radio, 30/10/2013 – Mukaya feeder road to Yei County headquarters is facing challenges. Mukaya Payam community chairperson James Taban told Easter Radio they repaired at least four streams on the road despite of many difficulties. He lamented that many people are withdrawing from the road repair work because there is no food for work, too much rain, long distances and natural calamities like death that interfere with the initiative. Mr Taban revealed that Lainya County Commissioner Huda Michael Laila donated 5,000 South Sudan Pounds to feed workers. The chairperson called on all Mukaya intellectuals and well-wishers to support the construction of feeder roads to boost rural development. He urged the state government to support the community. Mr Taban called for more funding for feeder roads construction. (Back to Top)

Wau diocese starts training on justice

8 Gurtong.net Wau, 30/10/2013 – Wau Catholic Diocese together with the Justice Peace Commission in Western Bahr el Ghazal state on Tuesday launched a one-year training program to its members across five parishes in the state on justice and peace. The training workshop will cover topics on human and women rights, Social Teachings of the Church, and common laws of South Sudan, said Natalina Andrea Mambo. The second training has brought in more than 30 participants from the different parishes in the state. “Justice and peace work is not political but more of attentiveness and putting into action what the Church preaches to the people,” said justice peace coordinator Natalina Andrea Mambo. “This second training program is open to the whole church in Western Bahr el Ghazal state at large and particularly in Wau town and the benefits shall be greater than the first,” she said. Ms Andrea acknowledged the importance of justice and peace at the community level and urged participants to put what they learned into practice by accepting others with all their weaknesses since they symbolize God in the community. (Back to Top)

Ministry to launch assessment on existence of rift valley fever Gurtong.net Torit, 30/10/2013 – The National Ministry of Animal Resource and Fisheries in collaboration with the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) and Food for Agriculture and Organization of the United Nations (UN-FAO) will be launching an assessment on Rift Valley Fever disease in four suspected states. The assessment will be done in Eastern Equatoria, Upper Nile, Lakes and Jonglei, Eastern Equatoria State Animal Resources and Fisheries Ministry Acting Director General, Mr. Apari Donato announced to Gurtong upon his return from Juba after attending a key workshop on Rift Valley Fever last week. Though he does not specify date and time on which the upcoming exercise will be implemented, the leader insisted that the workshop he attended, affirmed a resolution to embark on the project in order to eradicate it in the Country. The workshop he attended in Juba last week was initiated by ILRI and UN-FAO with a prime purpose to ascertain and assess prevalence of the disease notably in Eastern Equatoria, Upper Nile, Lakes and Jonglei states respectively. In order to facilitate the national exercise in four selected states in the Country, Mr. Donato disclosed to Gurtong that the two key players; ILRI and UN-FAO, in collaboration with both National and state Ministries of Animal Resources and Fisheries, will first launch a search for funding from both regional and international partners. He revealed that when funds to be used to assess prevalence of the disease, is done, the exercise shall then commence pending a real implementation to eradicate it once detected to any further extent. Mr. Donato revealed that since 2007 when report of three cases occurred in Eastern Equatoria State’s Kapoeta North County in Riwoto, no further continuation of intervention followed until now except in Upper Nile which has been continuing to date. He clarified that the recent workshop held in Juba has included Lakes and Jonglei in the next exercise because they lie between Eastern Equatoria and Upper Nile where livestock cross to interact as they search for pastures and water in their regions. The Director General included that once the ministry with the help of its two partners, confirms the existence of what he terms serious disease; rift valley fever, will then prepare an emergency response that requires joint action to fight it as effort to eradicate it in the Country. Last week, the Acting Deputy Director of Veterinary Services and Disease Control at the State Ministry of Animal Resources and Fisheries, Dr. Guari Johntana clarified that there are no cases of

9 rift valley fever disease in EES, though two cases were confirmed in 2007 when the disease broke out in Riwoto of Kapoeta North County. Latest Media reports of an outbreak of the Rift Valley Fever disease in EES are not correct according to the director. Aluma Araba, Director of Vector and Disease Control in the national Ministry of Agriculture Forestry and Tourism, said this was the first time authorities reported an outbreak of rift valley fever disease. He added that the ministry is preparing an emergency response that requires allocation of more resources to fight what he termed a “serious disease.” Rift Valley fever is a viral disease that affects both animals and humans. It spreads primarily by mosquitoes but can also be transmitted by raw milk or meat if not well cooked from contaminated animals. The ILRI works with partners worldwide to enhance livestock pathways out of poverty, principally in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. The products of these research partnerships help people in developing countries keep their farm animals’ alive and productive, increase and sustain their livestock and farm productivity, find profitable markets for their animal products, and reduce their risk to livestock-related diseases. ILRI is a non-profit institution with its headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya, a principal campus in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and offices in West and southern Africa and in South, Southeast and East Asia. In the developing world, livestock are the fastest-growing part of agriculture. Due to population growth and other drivers of change, many of the developing world’s livestock systems are transforming as fast as they are growing. Livestock science helps the world’s 1 billion small-scale livestock keepers make better and more sustainable use of the big changes and new trends. To increase global food supplies by as much as 70 per cent in the next 40 years without depleting natural resources, options are needed to support the world’s vast array of smallholder food producers, particularly small-scale ‘mixed’ crop-and-livestock farmers, who are the mainstay of the world’s food production and are likely to remain so for generations to come, and livestock herders, who move their animals periodically to find new pastures, and who are among the world’s most vulnerable people. The ILRI works to improve food security and reduce poverty in developing countries through research for better and more sustainable use of livestock. ILRI is a member of the Advancing international agricultural research for development (CGIAR) Consortium which works for a food-secure future. ILRI undertakes research into animal health, genetics, forages, dairy smallholder systems, policy, impact assessment and production systems. The CGIAR Consortium is an international organization that, together with the CGIAR Fund, advances international agricultural research for a food secure future by integrating and coordinating the efforts of those who fund research and those who do the research. (Back to Top)

No polio in South Sudan -- officials Voice of America, 30/10/2013 – South Sudan and World Health Organization (WHO) officials have reassured locals and the international community that South Sudan is polio-free, after they found that three reported cases of the crippling disease were misdiagnoses. "We were given a false alarm last month when an error occurred in a reference lab in Nairobi, due to a human error," South Sudanese Health Minister Riek Gai Kok said after he was notified late last week by the WHO that two patients in Northern Bahr el Ghazal and one in Eastern Equatoria who were diagnosed with the disease, didn't actually have it.

10 "There was a specimen, which was sent from here for analysis in Nairobi. It got contaminated unintentionally with a specimen which was sent from Somalia. So the result was false," he said. Somalia, where violence and lawlessness have prevented medical personnel from vaccinating hundreds of thousands of children over the past few years, is the epicenter of a polio outbreak in the Horn of Africa. Gai said the mistaken diagnoses in South Sudan were discovered after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) took the unusual step of doing a second round of tests on the South Sudan samples, seeking to confirm the outbreak. WHO officials confirmed that the original diagnoses were flawed. South Sudan has been polio-free for the last four years. Health officials declared a national emergency after the positive test results were made public and launched emergency vaccination campaigns in Northern Bahr el Ghazal and Eastern Equatoria. Gai says there are still concerns that an ongoing polio outbreak in Somalia could enter South Sudan. The Global Polio Eradication Initiative, a public-private partnership led by the WHO, has said the Somalia outbreak has already spread to Ethiopia and Kenya. (Back to Top)

Disease threatens South Sudan’s key crops, farmers on the brink Theniles.org Juba, 31/10/2013 – The cassava brown streak disease (CBSD), an increasingly common problem in South Sudan, threatens the livelihood of many farmers. A farmer in Yei County, Lehnert Anna Juan, from Central Equatorial State, walks four-and-a-half kilometers to her patch of land every day to try to support her large family. Since her husband died, the 49-year-old is the main bread winner, trying to support her three children and eight grandchildren. During each rainy season, she takes her grandchildren, to help tend her grow crops. But, this year, she discovered that a new disease had destroyed her entire cassava plantain crop. “I realised whatever I dug came out half rotten.” Anna JuanIt was a second blow for Anna Juan, who lives in Kajo-Keji County. First, her ground nut crop had died, due to lack of rain. Then, when she tried to harvest the cassava crop to buy more groundnut seeds, she was out of luck. “I realised whatever I dug came out half rotten,” she said. Local agriculture experts said that her crop had fallen victim to the cassava brown streak disease (CBSD), an increasingly common problem. “Many farmers do not know that their crops are infected until they have a poor harvest,” Thomas Buli, who heads the County Department of Agriculture, explained. Buli said that many farmers lost close to 60 percent of their crops. Ignorant of the problem, Juan kept using the same stock of seeds every year in keeping with the tradition of saving seeds from the harvest to plant next season. One local farmer in Maridi County of Western Equatoria State, Lamdi Jackson, said farmers still use traditional ways of planting instead of a modern method and said more should be done to educate locals about how to avoid the disease. “The extension workers in the state are not doing enough. Not even the NGOs. They tell people how to plant and space but do not explain protecting the plants they have put down,” he said. Jackson is one of the hundreds of returnees living in Maridi after spending years in the Democratic Republic of Congo border town of Abba. Like any other returnee, he has restarted life from scratch as a farmer. His farm is large scale; he now uses ox-ploughs to cultivate and employs four people. “Farmers in the area lost most of their maize when the weevils struck the fields.” Lamdi Jackson Anna Juan, who lost her cassava to the disease, now plans to diversify her crops, planting either maize, sorghum or brown peas, locally known as burusut. But there are also risks associated with other crops, Jackson said: “Farmers in the area lost most of their maize when the weevils struck the fields. You could see maize crops standing and withering and falling.” Juan and Jackson are among hundreds of thousands of South Sudanese who eke a living from agriculture, a lifestyle which has been unchanged for generations.

11 Lack of crop and seed inspection facilities at South Sudan’s entry points is a leading cause of the spread of plant diseases in the country, agriculture officials say. Jan Helsen, a senior land, water and agriculture expert at Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), also warned of a lack of regulations on the importation of seedlings. “We do not have the mechanism to control the movement of plants materials and to ensure that planting material is free of viruses, we are contributing to the spread of this disease across the region,” he said. He noted that some of the material is imported by aid agencies trying to do relief work but lack of inspection equipment along border points allows them go without notice of certification for quality. To Helsen, the spread of the diseases within the country is aided by the big population of white flies, carriers of the virus that roam the cassava gardens. “It gets the virus from one plant and transfers to another,” he said. Jan suggested that mass sensitisation should be carried out among farming communities. He also said the government should set up crop nursery centres where different breeds of the crop are tested for resistance and later distributed to farmers. Officials at the national Ministry of Agriculture and forestry also agree that there are infected crops that are being imported from neighbouring countries. Experts warn that South Sudan is fighting a loosing battle against the spread of diseases affecting cassava, a crop ranked by the FAO as a food security crop. According to FAO; South Sudan has become the latest country to register the presence of the Cassava Brown Streak Disease (CBSD), a fast spreading disease. It also has the Cassava Mosaic Disease (CMD) though it is proving less damaging. CBSD was first reported in the region in Uganda in 2004, according to the FAO, but spread fast to neighbouring countries. CBSD is characterized by yellowing of the leaves, stem and roots. After a year of planting, the yields are all rotten and cannot even be fed to animals, an expert on Cassava at FAO said. “At our borders, we don’t have proper quarantine systems.” Joseph Akim But amid the difficult economic times, solutions are scarce. According the Deputy Director for Extension Services in the national ministry, Joseph Akim, the country lacks resources to man or equip border points with crop examination facilities. “At our borders, we don’t have proper quarantine systems. Things are brought without proper checking,” he said. He said the problem was exacerbated by the land-locked country’s vast borders. He added the ministry has been working instead with local farmers to sensitise them on better crop planting. Though most parts of South Sudan grow cassava as a staple food crop, farmers in some states are not aware of the widespread disease. “We are trying to find out exactly the nature of that virus so that we can seek remedial measures,” he explained. The director said they faced logistical problems, adding that they planned to reestablish the Polataka seed centre and the Halima Seed Research Centre in Western Bahr El-Ghazal, both bombed during the civil war which ended in 2005. Akim urged farmers to destroy infected crops: “The best thing is to uproot the whole field and destroy the crops -- then you see cuttings that are free of diseases.” (Back to Top)

SPLM-N announces the formation of new administration in South Kordofan Sudantribune.com Khartoum, 30/10/2013 – The chairman of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement North (SPLM-N) Malik Agar issued a decree on Wednesday establishing a new administration for the border state of South Kordofan.

12 Agar named Simon Kalu Komi as SPLM-N head in the state and the governor of the province. Suleiman Jabuna Mohamed was appointed as deputy governor and Ammar Amon Daldoum as SPLM-N Secretary General in South Kordofan. The decree said the shuffle was made to implement of the resolutions of previous SPLM-N council meetings on delegating more authorities and involving more SPLM-N members in the management of movement’s leadership institutions. It went on to say that a sufficient period has passed since the outbreak of the war "imposed by the [ruling] National Congress Party (NCP)", which allowed for conducting an objective assessment of the capabilities and commitment of the SPLM-N cadres in order to promote some to leadership positions. Agar noted the continuing trend is to activate the principles of separating political and civil institutions from military ones and support the SPLM-N leadership to perform its duties in defending civilians and the thwarting genocide schemes. A similar decree will be issued later for the Blue Nile state and formation of regional liberation councils as well as the national liberation council. (Back to Top)

Sudan allows Sky news Arabia to reopen, lifts publication ban on al-Intibaha Sudantribune.com Khartoum, 30/10/2013 – The Sudanese government has officially notified the Dubai-based Sky news Arabia TV channel that it can now resume working, weeks after authorities shut down its office in Khartoum. The information minister Ahmed Bilal Osman summoned the head of Sky news Arabia office in Khartoum to notify him of the government’s decision. He also met with the editor in chief of al-Intibaha newspaper al-Sadiq al-Zraiqi who briefed him on changes introduced to the daily and affirmed their commitment to professional controls necessary to support the rules of coexistence and tolerance in the country. Al-Intibaha was also suspended indefinitely by Sudan’s National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) this month without reasons. The newspaper board met afterwards and decided to expel its head al-Tayeb Mustafa who happens to be an uncle of president Omer Hassan al-Bashir. This step was believed to have been made at the request of authorities as a condition for al-Intibaha to resume publication. In separate interviews however, Mustafa insisted that he voluntarily stepped down for the benefit of the newspaper he founded. He noted that he still has a stake in it. The minister said the suspension decisions were issued after a series of breaches that violated the agreed-to rules. He emphasized that the intervention was made in order to preserve public safety and corner "subversive media". He renewed the commitment of the government and its support for press freedom and strengthening the bonds of trust with the media in order to complete the mission for being an intrinsic partner in the overall national concern calling on everyone to enter into a new phase of cooperation and positive partnership. In his address this week before the parliament, the Sudanese president said that given the ordeal [the recent protests] subsided and life returned to normal, the government would now be open to reconsidering the exceptional measures applied against some individuals and media institutions that did not commit themselves to professionalism and objectivity rules. Khartoum had also shut down the offices of the Dubai-based al-Arabiya TV and intermittently suspended several dailies newspapers including pro-government ones such as al-Sudani, al- Meghar, al-Jareeda and al-Mash’had al-Aan. Sudanese officials accused some media houses of biased coverage of the protests that broke out last month in response to the government decision to cut fuel subsidies.

13 The violent clashes that erupted between demonstrators and security forces lead to about 70 deaths, according to official figures, although activists, rights groups and opposition parties put the death toll at more than 200. Sudanese authorities said they arrested 700 in connection with the riots and denied using live ammunition against protesters. They accused outside elements of firing at the demonstrators, namely the rebel coalition known as the Sudan Revolutionary Front (SRF). Despite lifting pre-publication censorship this year, Sudanese security routinely suspends and confiscates newspapers as well as ban journalists and columnists from writing. Ranked 170 out of 179 countries in the 2013 Reporters Without Borders press freedom index, Sudan is accordingly classified among the world’s 10 worst countries in regards to respect for freedom of information. (Back to Top)

Faction of Sudanese Islamists to establish new party Sudantribune.com Khartoum, 30/10/2013 – Several prominent Islamist figures have announced on Tuesday the establishment of a new political party under the name of the National Movement for Change (NMC). The founders of the new party include al-Tayeb Zain el-Abdeen, al-Tijani Abdel-Qadir, Mohamed Mahjoub Haroun, Ahmed Kamal al-Deen and Huwaida Salah al-Deen al-Attabani. All of the signatories were once members of the Sudanese Islamic Movement (IM), and its political arm the National Islamic Front (NIF) which orchestrated the 1989 military coup d’état that overthrew the democratically elected government led by al-Sadiq al-Mahdi who is head of the opposition National Umma Party (NUP). They majority of them were also ex-members of the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) which inherited the legacy of NIF. The founding statement of the NMC pointed that the party would adopt the motto “Let us be part of the solution”, mentioning that Sudan like other third world countries went through different phases in its history including advance and retreat, strength and weakness. It added that Sudan is currently going through the weakest phase of its history, pointing to the sharp discord among the political elites, civil war, economic crisis, secession of South Sudan, deterioration of educational institutions and foreign relations. The statement mentioned that Sudan is isolated and its name is on the list of countries sponsoring terrorism and its president Omer Hassan al-Bashir is accused of committing war crimes which makes him “persona non grata” in most of the countries, adding that ordinary citizens pay the price for the government failures. It went on to say all Sudanese people must face this grim reality by asking the difficult questions and answering them with honesty, pointing that those query should revolve around the lessons learned from the bitter experiences of the partisan divide, military coup d’états, as well as the political and economic adventures. The statement called for reviewing the reasons and objectives that made the Sudanese people engage in protracted civil wars in South Sudan, Darfur, Blue Nile, and South Kordofan leading to the death and displacement of millions of innocent citizens. It further said that questions should tackle the severe economic crisis which led to an unprecedented social disintegration and added that Sudanese citizens have either become refugees and migrants or unemployed and seeking immigration, mentioning that small minority of people have tightened its grip on power and wealth. This group of people, according to the statement, has a narrow political vision and poor professional competence as well as weak moral commitment which make it unable to bring about development or good management or spread justice and freedom among people.

14 The founding statement also called for reconsidering the overall situation of the country and developing new political and economic principles and drafting a new constitution, saying that the current regime is collapsing and building the future should begin immediately. The NMC founders pointed that political elites must meet the aspirations of the ordinary citizens including job opportunities, education, housing, and health care, saying that they are calling for new political horizons and new approach for political performance based on confronting realities and true engagement with the public. The statement said that Sudan suffers from a severe social problem which goes back to the colonial era and was reflected in unbalanced economic development policies, pointing that national governments failed to reverse the situation which led to continuous massive migration from rural to urban areas and out of the country. It added that there was no wise political leadership to remedy the disintegration of the socio- economic system in the countryside through an industrial revolution which provides a new production base, and a broad educational base which offers knowledge and skills. (Back to Top)

Experts demand lift of American embargo on Sudan Sudanvisiondaily.com Khartoum, 30/10/2013 – Secretary-general of the Sudanese Working Secretariat (SSWA) said US economic embargo imposed on Sudan very much affected Sudanese economy, describing that embargo as immoral and unjustifiable. Speaking yesterday at a workshop on Sudanese- American relations organized by SSWA, Dr. Karar Al-Tuhami disclosed that some American companies broke that unjustifiable embargo by entering into partnerships with the Sudanese agricultural sector. He stressed on the necessity of intensifying contacts with regional and humanitarian organizations to explain Sudan's position on this unjustifiable embargo, adding that SSWA was working through Sudanese communities in Europe and US to reflect the effects of embargo on Sudan. For his part, the economic expert, Babiker Mohamed Toum said the embargo was politically- motivated and unsubstantiated on the ground. He further noted that despite Sudan's defense of its position, US did not fulfill its promise to lift the embargo. "The embargo is a stark violation of the international declaration on human rights which call for equal treatment with all nations," he affirmed. He highlighted the effect of embargo on railway and aviation sectors, as well as blocking Sudan's access to international financial institutions. Hassan Karshum, an expert in human rights described the American embargo as immoral, noting that US used to impose embargoes on countries which disapprove its policies, and calling on Sudan to address non-aligned countries on its rejection of that embargo. (Back to Top)

UN says more troops needed to fight al-Shabab Al-Jazeera.net, 30/10/2013 – The United Nations has said the war against al-Shabab in Somalia has "ground to a halt" and needs a surge of almost 4,400 more African Union troops to succeed. The deputy secretary-general, Jan Eliasson, told the Security Council on Wednesday that an African Union contingent in Somalia needed boosting by 2,550 combat troops and 1,845 ground- support troops for the next 18 to 24 months. Eliasson told the council that the current UN-endorsed AU force and the Somali military lacked "the capacity to push beyond areas already recovered" from al-Qaida linked group. Without increased support, our present - and indeed past - investment in peace, and that of millions of Somalis, may be lost," he told the council. The AU mission in Somalia is meant to pave the way for an eventual UN force. It is led by Ugandan officers, and also has large Kenya and Burundi contingents. The Security Council is focused on the al-Shabab threat due to the September attack on the Westgate Mall in Nairobi, Kenya, by al-Shabab fighters in which at least 67 people were killed.

15 UN warning over millions of teenage mothers BBC News London, 30/10/2013 – Around 7.3 million girls under the age of 18 give birth each year in developing countries, risking death and suffering that can only be addressed by changing social attitudes, a UN report said Wednesday. Most are in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, with one in 10 girls in Bangladesh, Chad, Guinea, Mali, Mozambique and Niger reporting having a child before the age of 15, the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) said. An estimated 70,000 girls aged 10 to 19 die each year from complications during pregnancy and childbirth, according to the Fund's annual State of the World Population report. Many more are left incontinent and in pain by giving birth before their bodies are ready, while they also face a tough future if they are pressured to leave school early. The UNFPA warned that this is a "huge global problem" that demands attention -- but urged governments and civil groups to realise that the girls are not solely responsible. Issues of poverty, poor education, a lack of contraceptive advice and the practice of child marriage -- nine out of 10 adolescent births occur within a formal union -- all play their part, as does sexual violence. "Too often, society blames only the girl for getting pregnant," said UNFPA executive director Babatunde Osotimehin ahead of the launch of the "Motherhood in Childhood" report in London. "The reality is that adolescent pregnancy is most often not the results of a deliberate choice, but rather the absence of choices and of circumstances beyond a girl's control." Health surveys suggest 19 percent of women aged 20 to 24 in developing countries had their first live birth before they turned 18, equating to 36.4 million women based on 2010 population figures. Of these, an estimated 17.4 million are in South Asia, 10.1 million are in sub-Saharan Africa, and 4.5 million in Latin America and the Caribbean, the UNFPA says. From these figures, the authors calculated that 7.3 million girls each year become mothers while they are still children themselves -- two million of them aged 14 and under. The equivalent of 2.9 million girls in South Asia reported having had their first child before they were 15, 1.8 million in Sub-Saharan African and 0.5 million in Latin America and the Caribbean. According to the report, these girls are at greatly increased risk of maternal death or obstetric fistula, a debilitating condition resulting from prolonged and obstructed labour. In most case the baby dies and, without surgery, the mother is left incontinent. There is also an economic cost to having children too young, with estimates of foregone annual income over a girl's lifetime ranging from one percent of annual GDP in China to 30 percent in Uganda. There has been a slight decline in the percentage of women reporting adolescent births across developing countries, the report said, with the exception of sub-Saharan Africa. The highest proportion of child mothers are in Niger (51 percent), followed by Chad (48 percent), Mali (46 percent), Guinea (42 percent) and Mozambique (40 percent). Adolescent pregnancies also occur in the developed world but these represent just five percent of the total -- about 680,000, of which nearly half are in the United States. Across all countries, girls who are poor, badly educated and living in remote areas are more likely to become pregnant, and these factors are key to helping them. The UNFPA urged efforts to keep girls in school, teach them about sexual health, stop child marriage, change attitudes to gender roles and equality and better support young mothers. "We must reflect on and urge changes to the policies and norms of families and governments that often leave a girl with no other choice but a pathway to early pregnancy," Osotimehin said. (Back to Top)

16 US says it is not spying on UN communications Voice of America, 30/10/2013 – The United Nations says it has received assurances from the U.S. government that U.N. communications networks "are not and will not be monitored'' by American intelligence agencies. But chief U.N. spokesman Martin Nesirky would not comment Wednesday about whether the world body had been monitored in the past, as reported recently by the German magazine Der Spiegel. Nesirky said the United Nations contacted the United States about reports that the U.S. National Security Agency had cracked the U.N. communications encryption system. (Back to Top)

Amount of lies increase in afternoon - research Radio the Voice of Russia, 30/10/2013 – Lying and cheating are more likely to happen in the afternoon time since self-control decreases during this portion of the day, according to research. Participants took part in two experiments where they could make out better if they were to cheat. When the test was conducted in the middle of the day, researchers found that the percentage of cheaters rose. The findings correlate with past studies which point out that our self-control diminishes during the daytime because of feeling tired and constantly having to make choices. In detail, the first experiment had test subjects decide if they saw more dots on the left or right side of a computer screen. The people who chose the right side would earn ten times more regardless of if the side had more dots. Results found that people in the morning were more honest in the experiment than those who partook in the activity during the afternoon time. Another experiment had people filling in the missing letters to two words which had two or three letters visible. In the morning hours, people were more likely to say the word was moral and ethical while afternoon subjects saw the word as coral and effects. "Unfortunately, the most honest people, such as those less likely to morally disengage, may be the most susceptible to the negative consequences associated with the morning morality effect," Dr. Maryam Kouchaki, one of the lead authors, said and added, “Our findings suggest that mere time of day can lead to a systematic failure of good people to act morally.” (Back to Top)

South Sudan's 'bullet-bangle' artists make art out of War Voice of America, 30/10/2013 – Africa’s longest-running civil war left South Sudan in ruins when it split from the north in 2011. But the country’s artisans are literally picking up the old shell casings from artillery fire that used to terrorize the population, and are making jewelry out of it in the “bullet bangle” business. On the outskirts of Rumbek, capital of South Sudan’s Lakes state, a symphony of smashes and clangs rings out from dusk till dawn, as a row of blacksmiths hammer away at old metal shells and craft them into works of art. John Panchol, a slight man with bulging muscles from the backbreaking labor, has been making things from bullet and artillery casings for years. He used to mostly make traditional weapons, in a place where violent cattle raids are still common. "Before I was making bracelets, I was only making spears, axes and knives," said Panchol. Growing demand The raiders use deadlier, modern guns now. But Panchol has found that the growing demand for art and jewelry made from bullets - so-called "bullet bangles" - is becoming his new bread and butter. He finds that some of his best customers are Rumbek's cows. This is cattle country, where cows outnumber humans, and many people are named after their father’s favorite bull or best milker.

17 "I’m not just making bracelets," he said. "I’m producing bells for the cows and some spears that are luxury [items]. People love these things." Panchol learned his trade from a man who, in his prime, bashed out thousands of products. He is now so old he mostly stays at home or shuffles around town with a stick, but Panchol has taken on three apprentices so the craft will continue. One, John Chol, who lost his construction job in the capital, Juba, hopes that he will be able to retire on his skills, but said the problem is supply of raw material. "It’s difficult to get the metal, the remains of the ornaments that we get," said Chol. "Some people supply us, but we also have to look hard. We will carry on doing it, though." Seeking raw material Their searches take them hundreds of kilometers away to areas like Abyei, a contested region on the Sudan-South Sudan border. South Sudan split peacefully from the north in 2011, but disputes over a largely undefined border and how to share revenues from oil wells, now mostly in the South, sparked weeks of fighting last year that many feared would take the two sides back to all-out war. South Sudanese fashion designer Akuja de Garang is one person who is trying to promote the new nation’s struggling artisans and preserve their gifts for future generations. De Garang, who likes many others, fled a war that killed an estimated 2 million people and forced countless more to choose fight or flight, spent most of her life in Britain where she studied anthropology. Her house bears some of the beautiful trinkets made by around 70 ethnic groups spread across South Sudan. They include intricate pipes of wood encased in smoothed-down bullets, and engraved, razor-sharp spears usually brandished by tribal "wise men." Creating a network She wants to put South Sudan on the map for more than its violent past, and support artists like the metalworkers by providing small loans, a market for buyers in the capital, and advice on prices that will reflect the blood, sweat and tears of their toil. “What I’m trying to do with the organization I’ve set [up] is to offer an opportunity to act as a market. So what I’m trying to do is to set up a network across the 10 states,” said de Garang. She said "bullet bangle" artists also are helping to clean up a country littered with bullets, shell casings and other remains of years of war. Ironically, the business of crafting art and jewelry out of scraps of military metal is likely to die out - due to a lack of raw materials - if this new nation can maintain peace with Sudan. For now, artisans are turning pieces of war into pieces of art (Back to Top)

Friends in despair Al-Ahram Weekly, 30/10/2013 – Al-Bashir and Kiir seem to be on better terms, but friendship alone won’t solve the urgent problems Sudan and South Sudan both face. When President Omar Al-Bashir travelled to Juba, 22 October 2013, observers took note. This was his fourth visit to the capital of South Sudan since the latter gained independence in July 2011, and one conducted almost under duress. But Al-Bashir’s gesture was eagerly welcomed by his southern counterpart, Salva Kiir, who had been in Khartoum only a few weeks earlier. The two leaders, beleaguered at home, challenged by powerful opponents, and tackling nearly insurmountable economic difficulties, seem to have come to the belated conclusion that friendship may hold more promise than the recurring animosity of the recent past. Their motives for friendship cannot be clearer.

18 In Juba, Kiir has been caught in a power game that forced him into a high-stakes sacking of iconic heavyweights, such as Riek Machar, his former vice president, Pagan Amum, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) secretary-general, and Deng Alor, the former foreign minister. In Khartoum, Al-Bashir is clearly fighting for dear life. Not only is his government buffeted by the usual disturbances in Darfur, the Blue Nile, and South Kordofan; and not only is he confronted by a determined coalition of rebels from these areas — the Sudanese Revolutionary Front, which he doesn’t seem to be able to intimidate or co-opt; but recently he was challenged by this now familiar spectre: a nation taking to the streets to demand his ouster. The recent riots, triggered by the government’s removal of subsidies on fuel, are just another symptom of the multi-faceted malaise that Al-Bashir doesn’t seem able to banish. In Juba, Kiir continues to face unprecedented opposition from former allies for the 2015 presidential elections. Riek Machar, a powerful figure within the SPLM, said that he would run for election. And the Dinka Ngok tribes are desperately trying to hold on to Abyei. To survive, the two leaders will have to introduce economic reforms leading to a palpable improvement in living conditions. Both are short on cash. A deal over Abyei and oil would be a godsend for Al-Bashir and Kiir, but can they pull it off? This doesn’t seem likely, given the intensity of the tribal rivalry in this oil-rich region. With the Dinka Ngok determined to keep the region within the borders of South Sudan, and the Misseriya Arab tribes, which use the region to graze their cattle, opposed to the idea, the whole Abyei issue, long mediated by international and African officials, including such top-notch dignitaries as Thabo Mbeki, doesn’t seem to be approaching settlement. In fact, Dinka Ngok members totally ignored the fact that the African Union (AU) has decided not to hold the referendum on Abyei, due this month, and went ahead with their own one-sided referendum. Even Juba, which encouraged its Dinka Ngok employees to vote, now admits that this is not going to be helpful. South Sudanese Information Minister Michael Makuei recently said that it would be impossible to hold Abyei’s referendum in October, regardless of the cost. Now, Juba maintains that the only solution to Abyei’s problem will have to come through the good offices of the AU. So far, African and international mediators have failed to get Khartoum to agree to the referendum, and Khartoum, which keeps sending its diplomats to plead with UN Security Council members against the idea, is not in a mood to allow a referendum to go through. So what is left for the two leaders to discuss? Clearly, Khartoum and Juba have a common interest in cooperation in the short run. And the two leaders may try to find a way of not stepping on each other’s toes while sorting out their respective oppositions at home. But unless they fix the economy, which means getting a deal on Abyei off the ground, they may not have the resources to stay in office for long. In an attempt to break the deadlock over Abyei, Washington sent a high-level emissary, Donald Booth, to try to help Juba and Khartoum come up with a formula to settle the issue of Abyei. International mediation may have failed in the past, but with both Khartoum and Juba unable to sort out this issue on their own, emissaries from Africa and the UN are likely to continue their efforts to narrow the differences between Sudan and South Sudan. Al-Bashir doesn’t seem averse to talking, but he is unlikely to gamble the future of 900,000 of the Misseriya tribe by agreeing to a referendum that may stir more domestic opposition. Similarly, Kiir is not in a position to alienate the Dinka Ngok at a time when his circle of friends seems to be narrowing. In short, the newly found friendship between the strongmen of Khartoum and Juba may be a lovely idea, but it is unlikely to bring about the peace and prosperity their nations have been waiting for. (Back to Top)

19 What does the unilateral referendum for Abyei mean for the state's people? African Arguments/AllAfirca.com, 30/10/2013 – The on-going process of a "unilateral" referendum for Abyei has suffered condemnation by all stakeholders including the government of South Sudan. However, this 'community referendum', as christened by the Ngok Dinka, raises serious questions regarding the complexities in the Abyei protocol, giving no options for the Ngok people but to be at odds with regional and international bodies. The African Union Peace and Security Council (AUPSC) were categorical in its communiqué issued after its 403rd meeting [i] when it explicitly recognized the frustration arising from a delayed referendum. Nonetheless, the AUPS sent a forthright message warning of "unilateral action" by any of the stakeholders. The chairperson of the AU Commission Ms. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma made further remarks terming the on-going plebiscite in Abyei as "illegal, irresponsible and unacceptable" [ii]. South Sudanese officials made similar remarks, including an extreme example by the Minister of Cabinet Affairs Martin Elia Lomuro who warned that if the people of Abyei do not heed to government then they are not South Sudanese [iii]. It is understood that these remarks and condemnations are being made to avert possible tensions and conflict that may arise; yet no institution, whether regional or national, took the logic of such defiance from the perspective of the Ngok Dinka. Indeed the Abyei protocol which is part of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) remains and will currently go in history as the only protocol that has never been implemented since it was signed in 2004 [iv].Moreover, the Abyei protocol remains the only open protocol in the CPA that is constantly modified to accommodate serious hiccups arising between the two parties. The Abyei area has generated many sub or supplementary agreements that include the 2008 "Road Map" [v], the June 2011 "Temporary Arrangements for the Administration and Security of the Abyei Area" [vi] and lastly the September 2012 African Union High Level Implementation Panel (AUHIP) proposal for the final status for Abyei. It is unfortunate that the essence of the protocol and its purposes have been eclipsed by the myriad subsequent agreements. These temporary supplementary agreements dominate the scene and make any attempt to get to the crux of the original protocol futile. The two parties are trapped in endless debates on some of the provisions gained earlier as part of supplementary agreements that are meant to take the process forward and help the parties determine the final status of the region. (Back to Top)

The defining moment for Abyei’s Ngok Dinka Sudantribune.com, 30/10/2013 – The people of Abyei are in the middle of a defining moment, a moving situation prompted by frustrations over repeated failures by Sudan and South Sudan to strike a deal settling the final status of the area. The Dinka Ngok are undertaking a unilateral vote to determine their own future, either to remain in Kordofan in the present day republic of Sudan or return to the Bahr el Ghazal region of what is now the independent state of South Sudan. The Dinka Ngok did not want to take this path but what can they do since they have been denied the opportunity repeatedly. The Dinka Ngok people were promised an internationally recognised referendum but it has been repeatedly delayed since January 2011. They cannot be expected to fold arms and wait indefinitely. It was the African Union which made the proposal to hold a referendum in October 2013; however what has been the benefit of attending summits and meetings on Abyei, considering that the AU’s own delegation was recently not allowed to enter the area by the Sudanese government.

20 Instead of approving the proposal and forwarding it to the United Nations Security Council in accordance to its 2012 roadmap (which had tight timelines during which both sides were expected to reach a consensus or take decision in the event that they fail to fix the date, appoint the electoral commission head and ask the two sides to send their nominations) the African Union decided to continue pushing the issue to the table of the two presidents who have repeatedly failed to agree. What does not this mean to people who have suffered decades of conflict? Why does the AU insist on supporting indefinite discussions which South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir has admitted will not bare fruit? It is this spiteful situation that any human being could understand the cumulative frustrations of the Ngok Dinka of Abyei which pushed them to them to this point. This could have been averted if an understanding to conduct the referendum had been reached at the last presidential summit. But it appears the impetus of the summit was more aimed at addressing the issues related to internal criticism within their respective countries. Many Sudanese and South Sudanese citizens question whether the two ruling parties still enjoy the moral authority, legitimacy and the motivation to prioritize the Abyei problem. News headlines frequently quoted senior government officials making statements which appear as if the centres of power in Juba and Khartoum would put Abyei at the top of the agenda for the presidential summit. Unfortunately, the highly anticipated event on which the hope of Ngok Dinka was pinned ended up discussing issues largely related to the bilateral cooperation agreement and gave little sensitivity to Abyei conflict. This was a stunning oversight as many expected the summit to be dominated by the Abyei conflict. This is the fifth times the two heads of state have failed to strike a deal after the six months of the initial grace period given by the African Union had elapsed. The latest failure not only dashed hopes of any settlement coming out from the two countries, but proof that the two sides would never agree on the way forward, even if they were to be allowed to continue bilateral discussions for hundred years, according to President Salva Kiir in his recent assessment of the situation. The empirical evidence supports that the status quo will continue since developments in both countries show that the regimes are undergoing a critical internal power-struggle, which resulted in some serious divisions within its core constituencies including security, military and political ideologues. These divisions in both countries are happening at the time the presidents are looking to secure support another term in office, particularly in the case of South Sudan where President Salva Kiir haa made radical changes in his cabinet, including the removal of his deputy, Riek Machar, who had openly admitted his desire to replace Kiir as president in elections in 2015. Despite remaining in power, feels he can only secure return to the presidency at the next elections if he lubricates his bid with cash which comes from the oil precedes exported to the international markets through Sudanese territory. The continuation or oil exports through Sudan are the primary political interest of South Sudan and the Juba is not disposed to jeopardize this by pushing Khartoum too hard on issues such as Abyei. Meanwhile Sudan, which undergoes serious economic challenges coupled with armed rebellions in Darfur, Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile states, takes the lack of visionary leadership in South Sudan as “a big plus” to gains it made in the September 2012 cooperation agreement. Indeed president Al-Bashir feels in control of the situation since his policies are implemented without objection by the leadership in South Sudan. This is seen in the manner in which the cabinet hurriedly passed the communique of the summit which contains all contentious matters ranging from security to economic issues. According to information and broadcasting minister, Michael Makuei Lueth, on Friday 25 October, during a press briefing after attending the weekly cabinet sitting, the cabinet had agreed to order committees involved in the implementation of cooperation agreement to operationalise all the resolutions of the communique. There was no question of thorough study or even consultations to gather public views. This means that the regime will now go on a joint diplomatic outreach with Khartoum to campaign for debt relief.

21 This is because the government does not want questions asking specifics of the debt it will now go on a campaign to assist Sudan. The elites do not see Sudanese delegation going back home with full package while remaining scratching their heads with virtually nothing, claiming they have secured the oil flow. The flow of the oil serves the economic interest of both countries. The transit and pipeline charges are a big boost to the contracting Sudanese economy. It should not therefore be viewed as an achievement. Similarly, the four freedoms do not benefit anybody in the South. If any, it is the government of Sudan since it is the country with products to sell in our markets. We produce virtually nothing to sell to the north. Our only product is oil. The equivalent gains from the summit to attract a smile from the people of South Sudan would have been a consensus on Abyei to conduct the referendum this month, including pulling out troops currently still occupying the northern part of Abyei in Kec (Diffra) in defiance of the United Nations Security Council resolution 2046 and the African Union roadmap, reach an understanding on the status of the contested and claimed areas, particularly abandoning a claim it lays on the 14 miles area and pull out troops from the identified designated safe demilitarized buffer zones from which the SPLA forces have withdrawn. In summary, the summit did not benefit the country in anyway. The resolutions contained in the final communique are not different from the previous summits which did not address fundamental issues. The government of Sudan remains the sole beneficiary. The Ngok Dinka people of Abyei have spent more than fifty years moving and forging alliances with the oppressed and marginalised groups in Sudan in pursuit of their rights to return south where the area was administratively transferred to Kordofan in 1905. It is now 108 years since the area was annexed to Kordofan and attempts to return it south has always faced difficulties, despite this right heard in formal agreements. It was first heard in the 1972 Addis Ababa accord which ended the first civil war in Sudan between the South and North, but which was not implemented just as it was not January 2011, after the same right was heard in the 2005 accord which ended the second civil war with Sudan in which they also participated as was in the past wars. The interests and motives in participating in all these wars were not because they are war mongers nor were they enticed. They consciously joined the rebellions in pursuit of their interest, which is allowing them to decide their future in a referendum. Since they have exhausted all the legally required opportunities, including going to court, there is nothing the international community would expect from them to do than to exercise their right by organising their own referendum and decide their fate, since chances of the two countries agreeing to settle the dispute once and for all is almost an impossible to foresee. Postponing it again with no evidential guarantee, is practically unjustifiable, and they should therefore be supported to make their own choice so their true national identity becomes known to them and their friends. (Back to Top) Garang is a South Sudanese journalist based in Juba. He writes for Sudan Tribune, and can be reached at [email protected]

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