US Acknowledges the Replacement of Machar (Youtube-Clip)

“This week U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry indicated that replacing former South Sudanese Vice President Riek Machar is in line with the peace agreement. He’s opened the door to recognition of Taban Deng Gai in that key opposition leadership role. But where does that leave Machar and his supporters in the peace talks?” (CCTV Africa, 2016)

“Du sable et des cailloux” pour lutter contre l’armée congolaise – RDC #Reporters (Youtube-Clip)

Mamdani: South Sudan power-sharing deal will not work (Youtube-Clip)

“The South Sudan crisis may have touched the nerve of a region so prone to violence but finding solutions for it has now become the native task of both leaders and scholars alike. Renowned scholar Mahmood Mamdani this afternoon sought to profile the conflict and suggests ideas on how it could be ended” (NTV Uganda, 2016)

RDC: Arrete Urbain No 3072/28 MCL/Viben/2016 Modifiant l’Arrete No. 3072/26 MCL/Viben/2016 du 18/08/2016 Portant Instauration d’Un Couvre-Feu en Ville de Beni (25.08.2016)

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Statement by Adama Dieng, United Nations Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide on the situation in Burundi (25.08.2016)

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Adama Dieng, expressed his concern at inflammatory statements by public officials that could constitute incitement to violence including, most recently, by a senior official of the ruling CNDD-FDD political party.

NEW YORK, United States of America, August 25, 2016 – The United Nations Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide, Adama Dieng, expressed his concern at inflammatory statements by public officials that could constitute incitement to violence including, most recently, by a senior official of the ruling CNDD-FDD political party.
In a statement on 16 August 2016 that was published on the CNDD-FDD website, Pascal Nyabenda, who was at the time President of the CNDD-FDD party and President of the National Assembly, suggested that the genocide in Rwanda was a fabrication of the international community, (“montages genocidaires contre le Gouvernement dit Hutu de Kigali”) that was used to remove the Hutu government that was in place at the time.
“This irresponsible statement could be interpreted as genocide denial”, Mr. Dieng said, “and has the potential to inflame ethnic tensions, both within Burundi and outside its borders”.  At the 20 August meeting of the party, a new head of the CNDD-FDD was appointed but Mr. Nyabenda continues in his role as President of the National Assembly.

The situation in Burundi continues to be marred by instability and reports of serious human rights violations, including allegations of extra-judicial killings, disappearances, torture, and arbitrary detention of members of the opposition, civil society and those suspected of opposing the Government. Human rights defenders and journalists are among the hundreds of thousands of people who have fled the country since April 2015.

In its concluding observations, issued on 11 August 2016 following a special report submitted at the request of the United Nations Committee Against Torture (CAT), the Committee’s international experts expressed deep concern over the hundreds of reports of torture received and called for investigations into all cases of killings, enforced disappearances and other violence motivated by the ethnic origin of the victim. The Committee urged the Burundian Government to refrain from making any public statements that could exacerbate ethnic tensions or incite violence or hatred and to ensure that public and law enforcement officials do not accept or tolerate such acts by other groups.

Special Adviser Dieng also raised concern that the youth wing of the CNDD-FDD party, known as the Imbonerakure, continues to be associated with human rights abuses and is reported to have threatened ethnic violence. He noted that the Minister of the Interior of Burundi had confirmed that the Imbonakure formed part of the national security strategy, as the CAT also pointed out in its concluding observations.

Special Adviser Dieng reminded the Government of Burundi of its obligation to protect its populations, regardless of their ethnicity or political affiliation, and to refrain from any action or discourse that could inflame ethnic tensions. He highlighted the importance of countering such messages with alternative speech to foster unity rather than further entrench divisions,  and called on all parties to prioritize inclusive dialogue to bring about an end to the protracted crisis.

Press Release of the Joint Commission: present status of the Dialogue for Peace in Mozambique (24.08.2016)

Joint Communique Mozambique Aug 2016

Press Release: Shri Randeep Singh Surjewala, Incharge Communications, AICC has issued the following statement to the press today (24.08.2016)

Scorpene Submarine Leaks Aug 2016 P1Scorpene Submarine Leaks Aug 2016 P2

Major General (retired) Patrick Cammaert of The Netherlands to lead an independent Special Investigation into the violence in Juba (23.08.2016)

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The Special Investigation team will undertake a field visit to Juba to interview the relevant interlocutors.

NEW YORK, United States of America, August 23, 2016 – The Secretary-General today announced the appointment of Major General (retired) Patrick Cammaert of The Netherlands to lead an independent Special Investigation into the violence in Juba, South Sudan, in July 2016, and the response of the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).

The investigation will review reports of incidents of attacks on civilians and cases of sexual violence that occurred within or in the vicinity of the UN House Protection of Civilians (POC) sites in Juba. It will also determine the actions of UNMISS and whether the Mission responded appropriately to prevent these incidents and protect civilians within its resources and capabilities at the time. In addition, the investigation will review the circumstances surrounding the attack on the Terrain Hotel and assess the Mission’s response.

The Special Investigation team will undertake a field visit to Juba to interview the relevant interlocutors. A final report will be presented to the Secretary-General within one month, the findings of which will be made public.

Major General (retired) Cammaert recently led a HQ-Board of Inquiry on the circumstances of the clashes that occurred in the UNMISS Protection of Civilians site in Malakal, South Sudan, on 17-18 February 2016. He previously had a distinguished military career in both The Netherlands with the Royal Netherlands Marine Corps and the United Nations, including as Force Commander in United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE), as Military Advisor to the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO), and as General Officer Commanding the Eastern Division in the United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC).

Statement attributable to the Spokesman for the Secretary-General on the Democratic Republic of the Congo (23.08.2016)

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The Secretary-General continues to follow closely the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), in particular the political dialogue process. He takes note of today’s meeting of the preparatory committee to the national dialogue convened by the Facilitator of the African Union, Edem Kodjo.
The Secretary-General recalls that in resolution 2277 (2016) the Security Council underlined the importance of a credible and inclusive political dialogue to ensure peaceful, credible, inclusive, transparent and timely presidential and legislative elections, in line with the Constitution.
The Secretary-General once again calls on all political stakeholders in the DRC to engage in an inclusive political dialogue in good faith to overcome the impasse in the electoral process. He notes that there is no alternative to a credible political dialogue in the DRC and further urges all actors to refrain from any action that could increase tensions or lead to violence.

Former Vice President Riek Machar flees to Sudan (Youtube-Clip)

“Sudan’s government has now confirmed receiving South Sudan’s former vice president Riek Machar, on what they described as humanitarian grounds. According to a statement from Sudan’s government spokesman, Machar is in need of urgent medical attention. His health condition is however said to be stable. Officials say Machar will get full medical supervision while in Khartoum. He is expected to leave the country for a destination of his choice to complete his medical treatment. The United nations had last week confirmed having helped evacuate Machar from a region within the DR Congo, near the border with South Sudan. There was however confusion about his whereabouts, after authorities in DR Congo denied the UN claims that Machar was in their hands” (CCTV Africa, 2016)