United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) Media & Spokesperson Unit Communications & Public Information Office MEDIA MONITORING REPORT WEDENESDAY, 15 JANUARY 2014 NATIONAL • Over 200 civilians drown in ferry disaster (The Press and JJoournal/Gurtong.net) • South Sudan battles rage in key oil town (Business Recorder) • Machar sticks to his conditions for cessation of hostilities in South Sudan (Sudantribune.com) • MP criticizes crisis committee composition (Gurtong.net) • Army assures Yambio residents of protection (Gurtong.net) • Great lakes regional summit to discuss South Sudan crisis(Gurtong.net) • Ghana to contribute 850 troops to South Sudan peacekeeping force (BERNAMA- NNN) • Legislators okay deployment of Ugandan troops in South Sudan (Daily Moitor) • Greater Equatoria Governors demand regional balance in army & security recruitment (Sudantribune.com) • Former Upper Nile State governor dies in Egypt after long illness (Sudantribune.com) • Ministry updates aid organizations on security (Gurtong.net) • East African Universities affected by South Sudan crisis (Gurtong.net) • UN warns of looming hunger in South Sudan (Catholic Radio Network) • Ministry to promote adult literacy learners’ (Gurtong.net) • Vice-President to address Yambio residents (Anisa Radio) • Warrap Health Minister visits Tonj Counties (Don Bosco Radio) REGIONAL • Chiefs' meet to maintain border peace (Gurtong.net) • Khartoum played a constructive role in S. Sudan’s ongoing conflict, says UK minister (Sudantribune.com) INTERNATION NEWS • Police save Sudan ambassador from being lynched by mob (Daily Monitor) • NCP splinter faction rules out possibility of return to Sudan’s ruling party (Sudantribune.com) • Auditor-General calls for campaign against corruption (Sudanvisiondaily.com) • Bensouda is soft on Uhuru, say ICC victims (The Star/AllAfrica.com) • E. Africa call rates to fall (The Observer) OPINION/ANALYSIS/EDITORIAL • Museveni wrong on South Sudan(The Observer) • Justice must be served to save South Sudan (Sudantribune.com) • Sudan’s votes and violence; is it really a complicated question? (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 Highlights Over 200 civilians drown in ferry disaster The Press and Journal/Gurtong.net Juba, 15/1/2014 – At least 200 people are reported to have drowned in a ferry accident on the White Nile river as they were fleeing from rebel attacks in Malakal, Upper Nile State, an official said Tuesday. Col. Philip Aguer, the SPLA Spokesman said that; “yes the report we got is that these people were trying to escape” rebels’ attacks on Malakal. He explained that, forces loyal to Riek Machar had been sending messages to everyone in Malakal saying Malakal is under attack and people started running into different directions. “One of the barges used to cross the river to the Shilluk Kingdom was overloaded with more than 200 women and children and unfortunately it sunk and all the passengers perished," Aguer said. Describing the incident “disastrous,” Aguer said the forces loyal to Riek should be held accountable for the accident. Fighting has been reported in Malakal as rebel forces staged an attack to seize the town for the second time since the conflict began on December 15. According to the United Nations, some 400,000 South Sudanese civilians have fled their homes over the past month. (Back to Top) South Sudan battles rage in key oil town Business Recorder Juba, Pakistan, 15/1/2014 – South Sudan's military battled rebels in the streets of the key northern oil town of Malakal Wednesday, the army said, as conflict in the world's newest nation entered its second month. "There is heavy fighting in Malakal," army spokesman Philip Aguer said, dismissing rebel claims they had taken control of the town. Rebel forces staged a fresh attack Tuesday to seize the town, which has already changed hands twice since the conflict began, with rebel spokesman Lul Ruai Kong, boasting the insurgents had "recaptured Malakal". "This is not over yet," Aguer said. "The fighting is ongoing." The army is also trying to recapture the town of Bor from the rebels, the capital of restive Jonglei state. Aguer, in a statement he has repeated for over a week, said that the army was "still marching on Bor". "Frontlines there have so far been quiet this morning, but clashes can break out at any time," he said. (Back to Top) Machar sticks to his conditions for cessation of hostilities in South Sudan Sudantribune.com Nairobi, 15/1/2014 – Former South Sudanese vice-president turned rebel leader, Riek Machar, said his troops would not stop fighting unless Juba releases the political detainees and the Ugandan forces are withdrawn from the country. We "will not sign a ceasefire with the government unless foreign troops of the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF), which he added are "now taking part in the fighting for president Salva Kiir are withdrawn from South Sudan and the political detainees allied to him are released", he told Sudan Tribune on Tuesday. "If such demands are met," Machar said, “only then can the two sides further discuss the root causes of the political misunderstandings which internally originated from the ruling party of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM)", he emphasised. 2 No progress was noticed Tuesday in Addis Ababa in the ongoing talks between the two delegations, as the government of president Salva Kiir refuses to release the 11 political detainees including former SPLM secretary general Pagan Amum, Deng Alor, former minister of cabinet affairs, Oyai Deng Ajak, former minister for national security among others. Machar said the detainees are member of his negotiating team for the next step of the talks. The current delegation in Addis Ababa is led by the former governor of Unity state Taban Deng. The US Secretary of State, John Kerry, discussed the South Sudan conflict with the Vatican secretary of state, cardinal-designate Pietro Parolin during a meeting held in Rome on Tuesday. "There is a large Catholic population in South Sudan. President Kiir, himself, is Catholic, and I think that our efforts over the last days could be augmented by the efforts of the Holy See (the Vatican) with respect to trying to end the violence and bring about a peaceful resolution", Kerry said after the meeting. (Back to Top) MP criticizes crisis committee composition Gurtong.net Wau, 15/1/2014 – A Member of the National Legislative Assembly has criticized the composition of the Crisis Management Committee formed recently by President Salva Kiir. Northern Bahr el Ghazal Member of National Legislative Assembly, Simon Deng Duang, said the subcommittee’s formation should mirror the faces of politicians who will be dispatched to their states so that they can enlighten their communities in local languages about the ongoing political crisis in the country. “The political enlightenment about the failed coup to different people at the grassroots is supposed to be given to the politicians from states so that they will go and enlighten their communities,” Duang told Gurtong by phone yesterday. “But now different politicians were dispatched to different states, and this will complicate enlightenment process to succeed because the communities believe more on what their local politicians and the sons and daughters of that particular state tell them,” Duang said. He said the delegation to the states should be overwhelmingly comprise of the sons and daughters of that state as well as relatively some two to three members from different states of the Republic of South Sudan, especially MPs and influential politicians. He calls upon the leader of CMC took into such recommendation, pointing that the success of political enlightenment campaign will enable the country to return to the conduit of peace and stability. He calls upon South Sudanese populace to support the CMC work, saying that South Sudanese need peace and progress in this critical movement. President Salva Kiir last week issued a decree on the appointment of a Crisis Management Committee (CMC) composed of 27 members to assess the political, social, economic, security and diplomatic impact of the attempted coup. Kiir appointed his Vice President James Wani Igga as Chair of Crisis Management Committee (CMC) deputized by former National Parliament Assembly former deputy speaker Daniel Awet Akot. The decree also appointed his presidential Advisor for Legal Affair Telar Ring Deng as member of the CMC and a member of Political Bureau and chairman of SPLM Youth League Akol Paul Kordit as a member. The team will assess the political, social, economic, security and diplomatic impact of the attempted coup and provide strategies for mitigating the consequences of the attempted coup. 3 The committee is tasked to formulate an awareness raising strategy, targeting the population, region and the world, about the underlying realities of the attempted coup and provides daily briefing to the leadership of the latest development and to undertake any task that the CMC deem necessary. (Back to Top) Army assures Yambio residents of protection Gurtong.net Yambio, 15/1/2014 – A delegation from the South Sudan army, SPLA, and Western Equatoria state government officials has assured the citizens that they will be protected, urging them to maintain peace. The team headed by the state deputy governor Sapana Abui attended prayers in St. Joseph Naagori Parish where Major General Johnson Juma Okot thanked the citizens of Western Equatoria State for being peaceful and maintaining unity despite the challenges other states in South Sudan are facing. He said the army will ensure the country is secured as part of their mandate and said that no soldier is supposed to insult civilians or loot property but is to protect them the country from threats. He urge all citizens to remain united regardless of tribe adding that the soldiers are also from different tribes and any person trying to cause conflict in the state will be transferred from the state.