United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) Media & Spokesperson Unit Communications & Public Information Office MEDIA MONITORING REPORT THURSDAY, 10 OCTOBER 2013 SOUTH SUDAN, SUDAN Accept the AU proposal on Abyei, EU Special Envoy urges (News Agency of South Sudan) South Sudan dismisses reports on suspending Abyei poll (Gurtong) Probe links Sudan to Abyei Chief killing (Gurtong) Sudanese FM chairs meeting on implementing agreements with South Sudan (Sudan News Agency) Abyei community remains determined to vote in October (Sudantribune.com) SOUTH SUDAN EU urges Juba to sign Cotonou Agrement (Eye Radio) I‟ll return home anytime from now – Dr. Lam Akol (Eye Radio) Hunger hits Pochalla, kills several (Eye Radio) Jonglei Assembly approves Revenue Authority Bill (Gurtong) Lakes State releases students and teachers without charges (Sudantribune.com) Indian Battalion extends free veterinary aid camp to Panyikang County (Gurtong) Gum Africa harvest commences in Upper Nile (Gurtong) Health situation in oil fields deteriorating – Commissioner (Gurtong) Kenya, South Sudan to boost trade ties (Gurtong) Kenya Ports Authority faulted over directive on South Sudan-bound cargo (The Standard) OTHER HIGHLIGHTS US says it‟s comitted to support fight against LRA in CAR (Sudantribune.com) Defiant Bashir slams “bandits” and “traitors” who planned recent protests (Sudantribune.com) Islamic coalition group in Sudan calls on Bashir to step down and disband government (Sudantribune.com) SPLM-N to intensify attacks if regime continues crackdown on protesters (Sudantribune.com) Sudan denies involvement of its nationals in Kenya‟s Westgate attack (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. FEATURE FEATURE – Fire a „constant concern‟ in hotels, managers say (Voice of America) LINKS TO STORIES FROM THE MORNING MONITOR South Sudan Parliament passes budget to third reading (Gurtong) Law Society advocates for Death Penalty abolition (Catholic Radio Network) Nearly 30,000 returnees stranded in Upper Nile, says IOM (Sudantribune.com) Ugandan in South Sudan calls for job creation (Catholic Radio Network) Abyei region threatens uneasy peace between two Sudans (Middle East online) S. Sudan urges AU to reconsider position on conducting Abyei referendum (Gurtong) Highlights Accept the AU proposal on Abyei, EU Special Envoys urges News Agency of South Sudan Juba, 09/10/13 - The Special Envoy of the European Union to Sudan and South Sudan, Rosalind Marsden is urging Juba and Khartoum to accept the proposal presented by Thabo Mbeki, on determinig the final status of Abyei. Rosalind said "conducting the Abyei referendum is crucial". Abyei referendum as of the proposal by the African Union High Implementation Pannel is scheduled to take place this October but issues to do with voters‟ registration, Abyei commission and administration are not yet in place. Rosalind after talks with the minister of Foreign Affairs Dr. Barnaba Marial Benjamin said a team from the African Union Peace and Security Council would soon arrive in the country to see the situation of the people of Abyei as the return home. Rosalind also promised of the support of the EU to see peace returns in Jonglei state. The minister also held discussions with the Indonesian Ambassador to South Sudan Dr. Sujatmiko. The talks centered on how the two countries can establish diplomatic relation between each other in order to enhance bilateral cooperations. According to sujatmiko the republic of Indonesia is interested in trade with South Sudan especially on the oil and agriculture sector. (Back to Top) South Sudan dismisses reports on suspending Abyei poll Gurtong Juba, 10/10/13 - South Sudan Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr. Barnaba Marial has dismissed reports, quoting Khartoum sources, claiming that the African Union (AU) had called off the Abyei referendum. On Wednesday Marial dismissed the reports saying they are rumors and Sudan‟s propaganda aimed at convincing the AU leadership to suspend the Abyei referendum. “There are reports that have come out from Khartoum that the AU has cancelled the referendum on Abyei. That is not true,” Marial told press. “As I speak to you now, the AU is still sitting in Addis Ababa in order for the AU Peace and Security Council in order to make proper communiqué related to the road map for Abyei including the issue of the Abyei referendum,” Marial said. He said the proposal given by President Mbeki as AU‟s position on the Abyei referendum still stands as the only way forward for resolving the final status of Abyei. 2 “We would like to make it very clear as the Republic of South Sudan there is nothing like referendum being cancelled,” Marial reiterated. On Monday pro-Sudan media agency, SUNA quoted a source claimed to be Sudan‟s representative at the Abyei Over Sight Committee (AJOC) that the Sudanese government had received information from the AU calling off any unilateral support from either Sudan or South Sudan on the Abyei referendum. (Back to Top) Probe links Sudan to Abyei Chief killing Gurtong Juba, 10/10/13 - South Sudan‟s representative at the investigative committee on the murder of the Abyei paramount Chief Kuol Deng Kuol said on Wednesday that Sudan is linked to the killing of the Chief. Deng Biong, a representative in the committee yesterday met and briefed the President on the report of the committee, saying investigations have finished. He shortly told the press that, the first copy of the report was already been presented to the AU leadership. “We had of course descending opinion on the findings of the report and the recommendation will later on be discussed in a forum,” Deng said. “There are some areas that specially related to the link of the government of Sudan to the incident,” Deng said. Deng is part of the member of the AU Committee constituted to investigate the killing of Deng Kuol Deng which occurred in May this year. South Sudan earlier on had linked Deng Kuol Deng‟s assassination to Sudan, saying it was a move aimed at disrupting the Abyei referendum. Sudan up to now has refused to agree on the conduct of the Abyei referendum, pushing for conditions South Sudan and the Ngok Dinka tribe in Abyei consider it not favourable. (Back to Top) Sudanese FM chairs meeting on implementing agreements with South Sudan SUNA Khartoum, 10/10/13 - Sudanese Foreign Minister Ali Karti on Wednesday chaired the second ministerial level meeting for the implementation of cooperation agreements signed with South Sudan. Among those at the meeting were Ministers of Trade and of Health, the State Minister at the Ministry of Interior, representatives of ministries of transport, oil and defence, the Customs, the chairman of the debts committee and a representative of the local chamber of commerce. The meeting reviewed implementation of agreements particularly those in the trade sector and concerning the opening of border crossings between the two countries. Trade Minister Osman Omer Al-Sharif said he had finalised preparations to resume and expand trade exchanges between Sudan and South Sudan, and had identified 172 types of Sudanese commodities which could be exported to South Sudan. The representative of the Ministry of Transport said his ministry had completed preparations for resuming river transportation services between the two countries, indicating that 246 river transportation vessels were ready for use in trade. He also announced that the Minister of Transport of South Sudan will visit Sudan early next month to sign an agreement in the transportation sector. (Back to Top) Abyei community remains determined to vote in October Sudantribune.com Juba, 09/10/13 - In a bid to capture the attention of the international community, citizens of the oil-contested border region of Abyei took to the streets in large numbers on Tuesday, expressing their readiness to cast their vote this month. 3 Protesters, which included participants from the general public, members of civil society organisations, faith-based groups, traditional leaders, youth and women‟s groups, as well as trade and student union representatives in the area, delivered a letter to the United Nations Interim Force for Abyei (UNISFA), outlining their grievances. “Our demands remain unchanged. The month of October, 2013, remains as our sacred deadline for holding [the] Abyei referendum on self-determination and if it is not honoured then the Ngok Dinka chiefdoms will organise their [own] popular referendum”, the letter said, a copy of which was obtained by Sudan Tribune. The letter maintains that the Ngok Dinka chiefdoms are prepared to go ahead with the referendum without the involvement of the Sudanese and South Sudanese governments. The letter further states it would hold the AU body responsible should the conflict escalate further as a result of its failure to take decisive action to break the deadlock. “The African Union Peace and Security Council shall bear the responsibility for any escalation and tension that may arise during or in the aftermath of the upcoming popular referendum”, the groups said. “However, we call upon United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei to step up its civil protection component in order to provide necessary protection for the voting centres during the popular referendum”, the letter adds. The demonstrators called for the full, immediate and unconditional withdrawal of troops from the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF), which have remained in northern areas of Abyei in defiance of a resolution passed by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). “We strongly call upon [the] AU and UNISFA to ensure [the] full withdrawal of [the] SAF from various areas within Abyei borders, especially those stationed in Diffra (Kech) oil fields”, the group said.