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5 - 9 October, 2015

Domestic Media Monitoring Report for Sudan
Posted on October 9, 2015

Contents

Compiled by Kitty Shepard

“School student killed in Central Darfur’s Aradeiba” Thursday 8th October 2015 , Radio Dabanga, Independent Source

  • Camp sheikh came under attack early on Thursday.
  • Unidentified gunmen attacked innocent school children.
  • In the attack one child sustained injuries and later died in hospital.
  • These attacks have become normalized in the area and are continuously focused on IDP camps.

 

“US Secretary of State meets South Sudanese leaders in Washington” 8th October 2015, Sudan Tribune , Domestic News

  • John Kerry, US secretary of state, met with South Sudanese rival leaders this week.
  • An original meeting was scheduled for earlier on in this week, however national security adviser Susan Rice cancelled the event.
  • This was in protest against Salva Kiir’s declaration of 28 new states. The unilateral declaration violates the existing peace agreement.
  • The vice president James Wani Igga, as well as Machar and Deng Alor Kuol were present at the meeting.
  • Representatives confirmed that the meeting had discussed issues of implementation of the peace agreement, demilitarization of capital, Juba, and surrounding towns.
  • One of the major components of the talk was the recent 28 state declaration which violated the peace agreement. Secretary of State John Kerry expressed his disappointment in President Kiir’s lateness to sign the newly drafted minuets of the peace agreement.
  •  Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) was warned by the U.S diplomats that they risked alienating allies if they continue with these behaviors.

« Sudan’s opposition parties shun National Dialogue » 8th October 2015, Dabanga Radio, Independent Source

  • The National Umma Party (NUP) and National Consensus Forces (NCF) have announced they will not be participating in the scheduled national dialogue on Sunday.
  • The parties are refusing to attend the meeting due to the decision of the AU Peace and Security Council meeting in August, that a preliminary meeting was to be held at the AU headquarters in Ethiopian,
  • NUP Secretary informed Dabanga Radio that since the government has continued to increase repression on civil freedoms she does not see how it is possible to hold a national dialogue in this environment.
  • The secretary stated that until the government commit to a peaceful regime, the NUP would not be able to participate in a national dialogue.
  • The lack of transparency; haltering aid deliveries to trouble areas; disrespect of human rights, and detainment of political enemies of the state have been stated as reasons why the parties will not be attending.
  • Both parties have requested the AUHIP be a neutral body in the process.
  • The NFP have also declined the invitation to participate in the dialogue as without transparency or a commit that is ready to commit to protecting human rights no good can come of the process.

 

“North Darfur camp coordinator told not to report to Radio Dabanga” 7th October 2015, Radio Dabanaga , Independent Source

  • The National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) have enforced strict censorship on the Darfur region.
  •  Sheikh Abdelrazeg Yousef Suleiman, coordinator at the Saraf Umra camps for IDP’s  was warned through a letter that if he continued to report to Radio Dabanga and UNAMID he would be punished.
  • The coordinator has been a chief source in providing updates of the situation in the IDP camps.
  • The NISS have directly threatened to take action if this information does not stop.
  • This is strong evidence of censorship being used to limit crucial information being given to external sources.

 

“Regional bloc mediators: South Sudan’s warring factions violated ceasefire agreement 53 times” 8th October 2015, US News , Domestic Source

  • The AU body overseeing the implementation of the peace agreement in South Sudan has identified 53 violations of the declaration in 19 months.
  • 29 violations have been committed by the South Sudan rebels and 24 minimum have been committed by the government’s forces.
  • The international community has expressed their frustration with the violations of the peace agreement and denial of peace in this area.

 

“Travel ban for Sudanese opposition leaders”  5th October 2015, Dabanga Radio, Independent Source

  • The NISS have banned the head of the Sudanese Congress Party (SCP) and leader of the Communist Party of Sudan (CPoS) from leaving the country.
  • These members have had their passport seized at airport in Cairo.
  • The leaders of the SCP and CPoS were attending a meeting with Sudanese opposition parties.
  • These meetings have been in the larger context of the Sudan Revolutionary Front rebel alliance
  • This unification is in hope of reaching democracy for Sudan and creates a united standpoint for a legitimate National Dialogue.
  • Both leaders have expressed that the travel bans represent the governments attempt to stop them from attending these meetings and pursuing democracy for their country. 
2. East Sudan Peace Agreement
Independent Media

"Sudan: Eastern Sudan Peace Agreement a Failure’ -Report" 31st May 2015, All Africa

  • The Easter Sudan Peace Agreement (ESPA) operations started to gather in 2005 and has been evaluated as having some positive effects in the region by directing authority.
  • However the Small Arms Survey (SAS) based in Geneva, have reported that the issues of conflict, security and humanitarian relief still remain.
  • The SAS has explained that the root causes for individuals to join the opposition forces are still present. This disrupts the everyday civilian life making normality impossible to achieve.
  • The report explained that the area is on the verge of needing desperate humanitarian aid. The geopolitical advantages of Eastern Sudan have become useful for criminal networks to develop. Human trafficking and other networks have become problematic in this region.
  • The ESPA was projected as an agreement to change Eastern Sudan and to bring security to the lives of everyday citizens. A decade since the signing of the document the SAS have reported large failures of the ESPA operations.
3. President Al-Bashir invited to mid-year African Union Summit
Independent Media

"Will Bashir take a walk on the wild side." 21st May 2015, Institute for Security Studies

  • The South African government have invited the Sudanese president to attend the next African Union (AU) meeting in Sandton next month.
  • The invitation has been issued to all head of countries on the continent. There is one factor which jeopardizes al-Bashir’s journey. South Africa is a contracting and founding party of the International Criminal Court (ICC) which means they would have to cooperate with the 2009 warrant on al-Bashir for war crimes and crimes against humanity and genocide.
  • The South African authorities have been caught in this dilemma before when in 2009 and 2010 al-Bashir was invited to two specific events: President Jacob Zuma’s inauguration and the FIFA World Cup.
  • The issue has become a political matter where South Africa cannot be excused from its obligation to cooperate with the ICC.
  • Researchers at the ISS have since expressed their expectation for al-Bashir to decline the invitation to avoid any embarrassment.
  • ·The ICC warrant has caused problems for al-Bashir recently and suspected to be the reason for his cancellation of a trip to Indonesia.
  • The invitation for al-Bashir to attend the meeting is after Malawian president Joyce Banda explained that Al-Bashir is not welcome to Malawi to attend the AU summit.  However, AU chairperson Robert Mugabe supports an anti-ICC stance creating divisions in the AU authority.
  • South African authorities have not confirmed whether al-Bashir will be arrested if he attends the conference later this year.
4. IGAD ask Sudan president to aid South Sudan peace talks
Domestic Media

"IGAD asks Bashir to facilitate resolution of S. Sudan conflict" 25th May 2015, Sudan Tribune

  • The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) have asked for president Bashir’s help to end the inter-South Sudanese violence.
  • The Sudanese government have confirmed that Bashir is intending to cooperate with the IGAD demand and will engage in new techniques in an attempt to end the conflict.
  • Al-Bashir is to meet with representatives from the European Union and Norway to discuss the conflict and a future plan to resolve the violence.
  • After talks failed in March of this year the IGAD extended their coalition to involve the EU, UN Security Council and Troika countries named the IGAD-Plus.
  • The coalition has been extended to Algeria, Chad, Nigeria, Rwanda and South Africa to represent the north, central, western, eastern and southern African regions.
  • The Sudanese authorities have recently been accused on supporting the SPLM-in-Opposition forces but quickly denied these accusations.
  • The government officials have explained that security in the south in necessary to create it in the north. The government officials further explained that there is no desire to intervene military in the southern conflict.
5. New parliament speaker commits to national dialogue
Domestic Media

"Sudan new parliament speaker vows to push national dialogue efforts" 2nd June 2015, Sudan Tribune

  • The newly elected speaker of the Sudanese parliament Ibrahim Ahmed Omer has committed to promoting national dialogue talks between al-Bashir and opposition parties.
  • 375 votes elected Omer into the position of speaker of the new cabinet
  • Omer’s emphasis on the need for a dialogue to happen promise that there is hope for the future of Sudan. Omer explained that the dialogues original intent to increase cooperation and unity between parties is still the principle objective.
  • The recent election win by president al-Bashir is one area which is keen to be discussed. Among the 43 political parties who participated in the elections 21 have agreed to join the new parliament.
  • As a prominent figure in the parliamentary system the sentiments expressed by Omer have given some hope to a national dialogue being held with both parties discussing key aspects for a unified future.
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