President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s statement on World Refugee Day (20.06.2016)

Dadaab Refugee Camp

MOGADISHU, Somalia, June 20, 2016 –  Today, on World Refugee Day, the Somali Federal Government and the People of Somalia acknowledge, commemorate and celebrate the enduring strength of refugees everywhere whose painful experiences and journeys we can only be humbled by.

The Government of Somalia firmly stands with refugees, and believes that all should be done by Governments and partner agencies to support them re-establish their lives at home and abroad, so that they can be empowered to pursue their hopes and dreams like every other human being. The solution to ending the misery of displacement is not building more walls, hardening borders and compromising the institution of asylum which is sacrosanct.

The Somali Government firmly believes that where refugees have been provided opportunities and, where they are supported to effectively integrate into their new societies, they have and will continue to prosper and contribute positively. As a result of this, society will flourish and the world will become more peaceful and tolerant.

World Refugee Day is of particular importance to Somalia given that our painful civil war led to a significant number of our people seeking safety and opportunity globally. Today, thankfully, many Somali refugees of the civil war have successfully resettled in new homes across the world and are supporting their relatives, refugees and otherwise, through remittances and through their own engagement in Somalia’s recovery.

There are over one million Somali refugees living across the world. Most of these are in neighboring countries such as Kenya, Ethiopia and Yemen. The Somali Government views the safe and orderly return of Somali refugees to their homes as an important priority. In order to facilitate this, the Government is fighting the last remaining pockets of opportunistic terrorism and creating an inclusive State which upon their return will provide Somali refugees with hope and opportunity.

As President, I can assure you that my Government is doing absolutely everything possible to safely return our people home. This is their home and we understand fully that there is no place like home.

The Government of Somalia reaffirms its stand with refugees.

Burundi: UN experts call for concrete steps to end crisis (17.06.2016)

UN Burundi

GENEVA, Switzerland, June 17, 2016/At the end of their second visit to Burundi, the three human rights experts of the United Nations Independent Investigation on Burundi (UNIIB) called for concrete steps to be taken to end the crisis in the country.

“One of the most significant developments since the beginning of the year has been the significant drop in the number of executions. This is extremely welcome and we reiterate our call on all parties to stop the use of violence as a political tool, “ said Christof Heyns, one of the three experts and the Head of UNIIB.

“However this relative calm should not be confused with long term stability. Serious human rights concerns remain and there are no signs that disappearances and torture have subsided,” said Pablo de Greiff. “Impunity for serious present and past violations remains the order of the day.”

The experts also noted that many political prisoners remain in jail and that a new pattern of mass arrests has emerged recently, mostly affecting ordinary people, including children. “In various parts of the country, school children have been arrested or suspended from school because their books had scribbles on pictures of the Head of State. Some of them face the prospect of spending five to 10 years in jail. We will continue to closely follow these cases, including the actions taken by the National Human Rights Commission on them,” said Heyns.

“It has been particularly disconcerting to see the state of disarray of civil society in Burundi, and the continuously shrinking space for what remains of it. Many NGOs remain suspended and those that continue to function operate in a climate of fear and intimidation. I was particularly struck by the fact that some of the NGO representatives  we met during our last visit in March have fled or are now too scared to talk to us,” said Maya Sahli-Fadel.

2016-01-15_2151_itw_burundi_un_ohchr

“For Burundi to move away from violence and conflict, it needs a truly inclusive political dialogue that will address the roots of the political crisis. The talks which recently started in Arusha and Brussels are a positive step forward but should be broadened to ensure that all actors of the crisis are included,” said Heyns. “Real progress in power sharing will be crucial to achieving sustainable peace.”

“These are preliminary observations, and we look forward to working further with Burundian authorities and society to take the protection of human rights forward,” he added.

During their mission, the experts met with national authorities and other political actors, members of civil society, victims of human rights violations, as well as with humanitarian organisations, including UN agencies, and international and regional partners operating in Burundi. They also visited the Mpimba prison in Bujumbura.

The UNIIB is composed of Mr. Christof Heyns (South Africa), the UN Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Summary or Arbitrary Executions; Ms. Maya Sahli-Fadel (Algeria), the African Union Special Rapporteur on Refugees, Asylum Seekers, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons; and Mr. Pablo de Greiff (Colombia), the UN Special Rapporteur on the Promotion of Truth, Justice, Reparation and Guarantees of Non-Recurrence.

The Independent Investigation recently deployed human rights monitors to Burundi, with the aim of helping the three human rights experts gather information on human rights violations and abuses committed in the country since April 2015. They are scheduled to submit their final report to the Human Rights Council in September 2016.

Readout of the Secretary-General’s meeting with H.E. Mr. Uhuru Kenyatta, President of the Republic of Kenya (15.06.2016)

Uhuru Phone

NEW YORK, United States of America, June 15, 2016 Today, the Secretary-General met with H.E. Uhuru Kenyatta, President of the Republic of Kenya. They exchanged views on the main peace, security and humanitarian challenges facing the region.

Regarding the decision by the Government of Kenya to close refugee camps, the Secretary-General commended the Government and people of Kenya for decades of generous hospitality to hundreds of thousands of refugees from numerous countries. The Secretary-General encouraged President Kenyatta to work with the Government of Somalia and UNHCR in the context of the Tripartite Agreement. He assured the President that the UN will continue to provide humanitarian, development, and security assistance to both Kenya and Somalia.

The Secretary-General also expressed gratitude for the continued bravery of the Kenyan troops of the AU Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) and highlighted the critical importance of staying committed to AMISOM’s efforts, particularly ahead of the 2016 federal elections.

Brussels, 15 June 2016

Press Statement: Inaccuracy, and biased positions of Troika would not help innocents in South Kurdofan and Blue Nile (08.06.2016)

Unbroken Conflict in South Kordofan and Blue Nile

WASHINGTON D.C., United States of America, June 7, 2016 –  The Embassy of the Republic of the Sudan expresses its deep regret for the latest statement issued by the Troika  (USA – UK – Norway) on 27th of May 2016, on the situation in South Kurdofan. – The biased and unbalanced statement by the group has just repeated the old positions that don’t help bring peace to the people of the two areas, and only send the same negative signals to the rebels to continue their barbaric behavior in attacking innocent civilians without facing any consequences.

The Government of the Republic of the Sudan while confirming its commitment to the negotiations and dialogue as the only way for peace settlement in the two areas, expects clearer position from Troika towards the Road Map  by applying pressure on rebel movements who refused to sign it, sparing no efforts to impede peace process and dialogue in Sudan.
The Troika statement mentioned the Road Map but still there is a lack for strong position and firm commitment towards it.

The claims mentioned in Troika’s latest statement about the expulsion of the Head of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Sudan  is completely inaccurate. The acting official was granted his work permission in January 2014 on the basis of transitional period, the Government has renewed his stay permit for extra period ends in June 2016 waiting for a new nomination for the position and still waiting for that.

The Government of Sudan while reiterating its keenness to work with the UN agencies in the humanitarian field has the full right to evaluate the performance of UN officials and their level of cooperation.
The Humanitarian Aid Commission in Sudan (HAC) has presented in its recent statement a brief assessment for the work period of the  UN official that witnessed tension in the relations and lack cooperation.

The official concerned was requested to be issued a provisional stay permit in his capacity as ACTING head of OCHA Mission in Sudan. Though the said status remained as is up to date, the Sudanese authorities  fully cooperated with him and secured renewals of his  tentative stay permit. However, ahead of the upcoming renewal , OCHA was advised of the situation. That step should in no way construed as rejection of the presence of this UN organ in Sudan or the appointment of a new resident head of it.

Footage: Two days ago, UNICEF Middle East and North Africa teams entered besieged ‪‎Daraya‬, Syria for the first time in four years.

UNHCR and FAO help vulnerable refugees and South Sudanese families strengthen their food security (02.06.2016)

05-14-fao-south-sudan

ROME, Italy, June 2, 2016The UN Refugee Agency and Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations have distributed seeds and agricultural tools to 200,000 refugees and their host communities across South Sudan to help them become more self-sufficient in a country facing a serious food crisis.

Assessments have shown that the food and nutrition security situation is worrying in many parts of the country, including in Upper Nile – a region hosting four refugee camps and South Sudan’s largest refugee population of 134,000 Sudanese refugees. A nutrition survey, conducted in late 2015, found that Upper Nile’s Maban refugee camps registered higher levels of malnutrition compared to 2014. This was particularly the case in Doro camp, where the rates of Global Acute Malnutrition (GAM) and Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) were respectively 15.5 percent and 2.6 percent – above UNHCR standards of 10 percent and 2 percent.

“To quickly respond to high malnutrition rates we are distributing nutritious food for children under five years and all pregnant and breast feeding mothers. We are pleased to announce that these interventions are working well, but we are also looking beyond quick-fix solutions that help refugees become more self-reliant and less dependent on humanitarian assistance in the long run. This is the essence of the UNHCR-FAO partnership,” says Ahmed Warsame, UNHCR Representative.

This year, the two UN agencies have jointly contributed 186 tons of crop seeds, assorted vegetable seeds, hand tools and fishing kits for refugees and local communities in Unity, Upper Nile, Jonglei, Central Equatoria and Western Equatoria. This donation will enable communities to start planting their cereals and replenish their stocks, in so decreasing food shortages.

“People here lack the resources to buy the things they need to start planting and need support to be able to produce their own food. These distributions have been very timely since the planting season has just started,” says Serge Tissot, FAO Representative. “It is vital to strengthen the livelihoods of vulnerable communities in the long-term so that they can become more resilient, absorbing shocks and increasing their access to food through their own means.”

While many have received assistance through direct distributions in the past, in 2016 refugees in Central Equatoria were invited to attend seed fairs for the first time. With this FAO, in partnership with UNHCR, strives to help transform agriculture in South Sudan by facilitating the sale of high quality local seeds instead of imported seeds. At the fair, vulnerable farmers were issued with vouchers to be exchanged with local traders for seeds which directly injected cash into the local economy.

“Without seed distributions we cannot survive. Not all of us are able to maintain seeds for next year, some people do, but because of a lack of food, sometimes we are forced to eat the seeds maintained for planting,” Michelle, Sudanese refugee from Blue Nile State. “We hope for peace so that we can return home, where we can be free,” she added.

FAO and UNHCR are committed towards increasing refugees’ access to livelihood opportunities and reducing dependency on humanitarian aid. Of late, a joint livelihood strategy for South Sudan was launched looking to address this issue with a clearly defined action plan. The strategy targets both refugees (70 percent) and local communities (30 percent) in refugee-hosting areas across the country.

Museveni State of the Nation Address 2016: Guns and Glamour, but nothing worth listening too…

museveni and his gun

“I’ve been dealing with guns a long time, I know the cost of an AK47 in China and Yugoslavia. You can’t cheat me of that” – Yoweri Kaguta Museveni

I should listen and care about what President Museveni says in the State of the Nation Address today, well, I don’t he will proclaim to be the most genuine democrat, the grand master who have made such progress, and on the way to middle Income Country. He will proclaim the soon added revenue of Petroleum Money. That he and his cronies are fighting corruption, while buying suits to vote in Hon. Oulanyah for Deputy Speaker in Parliament.

He will say that Uganda is the epitome democracy, where we all can learn from and where Human Rights are respected. When he speaks of democracy is that his words are law and his action becomes regulation of state. That has secured the nation and boundaries. The level of growth, the growing levels of cash crops like Coffee, Tea and others are steady growing.

State of Nation 2016 Uganda

“IN PROTEST: Opposition MPs Allan Ssewanyana (Makindye West) & Mubarak Munyagwa (Kawempe South) walk out of the hall after being ordered by the speaker to put down their placards. The placards had words “Release Besigye”” (Daily Monitor, 31.05.2016).

As he continues he will speculate and say that it’s the citizens or politician that is the blame for the corrupt behavior, not him or his allies. Because the resistance will clear that out in the Army, civil servants or politicians; Well, he have run the nation for 30 years, but still have issues with the same as when he came in. Now the name has changed, it isn’t Yugoslavia anymore. President Museveni either buys from Serbia, Montenegro or Croatia for instance, but that European Politics isn’t important. The place only matter as long as he gets his weapons to a fair price. And can use them against opposition or made-up opponent in the land. Maybe even for some of African Union Peacekeeping missions.

Not forget every-time he speaks he have to come with close advice for small acre farmers who needs to handpick certain vegetables to become wealthy, as the Operation Wealth Creation and other schemes he have made and hired Gen. Salim Selah to run is the best option for the Nation.

Ugandan state is good, as long as they don’t question his government. As long as they are nodding to his words of wisdom; because his vision and his changes is the healthy ones, not what the other people they are talking nonsense, they are not resistance fighters! You need Resistance Fighters and need Bush War ego to run Uganda and President Museveni have that.

Just as he was saying this today:

“Some commercial banks and money lenders use unethical methods to steal Ugandans, we will deal with them” (…)”There is the problem of Government not paying arrears of private companies that supplied to Government” (…)”Companies that supplied to the Government of South Sudan but were not paid, I’ve already directed government to help them” – Yoweri Kagtuta Museveni

Because it is not the Ugandan Government who is the problem and how they are handling their procurement or the use of money, it is the banks that are the problem in Uganda. If not there are examples of South Sudan Government that have not made amendments with their imports from Uganda. So the President Museveni and his regime have to clear the slate for their misgivings, because he doesn’t make anything wrong, it is everybody else. He is never at fault and that is consistant with every move he have ever done. It was Idi Amin who was the problem, it was Obote who was the Issue. Now it is the Western Powers and Aid that is the issue, while he doesn’t complain with new-money and aid from South Korea or others as long as they doesn’t put strings on the money!

I will not release the whole State of Nation this year, because, why bother? He is a blatant totalitarian ruler, who uses his police state to apprehend opposition and detain his arch-enemy in Luzira while he proclaims democracy. A man who does that does not deserve to get his voice and his whole speech delivered online. That is waste of energy, right?

So he would speak of what I talked about and I found some wonderful quotes that shows the arrogance and the rigid mind of Museveni of 2016. Who has all the answers and blames others when the system doesn’t work, even if he has been behind the project since 1986. That is the irony and sadness of the matter. Peace.

Audio: Uganda – only severing security ties with North Korea

Uganda says it will cut security ties with North Korea following the visit of South Korea’s president Park Geun hye. Uganda is one of North Korea’s allies in Africa and has had diplomatic relations since 1963. Pyonyang’s training programmes for Uganda’s police and army date back to the early 70s under the rule of Idi Amin Dada. But after meeting his South Korean counterpart, President Yoweri Museveni said Uganda would enforce the United Nations Security Council resolutions banning North Korea from all military links with foreign countries. Sam Kutesa, Uganda’s Foreign Affairs minister, told RFI’s Zeenat Hansrod – @zxnt – that his country is not severing all ties with North Korea” (RFI, 30.05.2016=

Press Release: “Contrary to media reports Uganda has not severed relations with North Korea (30.05.2016)

foreign affairs Uganda 30.05.2016

What the DPRK News Service said today: 

DPRK Twitter Uganda

Joint Statement on Aerial Bombardment in South Kordofan and De Facto Expulsion of OCHA Head (27.05.2016)

Unbroken Conflict in South Kordofan and Blue Nile

The following statement was issued jointly by the governments of the United States of America, the United Kingdom, and Norway:

The members of the Troika (Norway, the United Kingdom and the United States) are appalled by the Sudanese government’s aerial bombardment of civilians in Kauda and the Heiban area of South Kordofan, including the bombing of St Vincent Elementary School on 25 May. The Sudanese government has a responsibility to protect all its citizens. We urge all parties to end the violence and allow immediate humanitarian access to those in need. We believe that the Roadmap presented by the African Union High-Level Implementation Panel represents the way forward.

The Troika countries are also deeply concerned by the government of Sudan’s de facto expulsion of Ivo Freijsen, the Head of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Sudan. The government of Sudan’s action contributes to the increasingly difficult environment to address humanitarian needs in Sudan. The humanitarian situation remains critical, with over 5.4 million people in need of humanitarian aid. We fully support OCHA’s mandate in Sudan and call on the government to review this latest decision, and lift restrictions on the timely delivery of humanitarian assistance to all Sudanese affected by crisis and conflict.