RDC: MLC – “De La Session Extraordinaire du Bureau Politique” (05.09.2016)

RDC MLC 05.09.2016 P1RDC MLC 05.09.2016 P2

Joint Communique by the Transitional Government of National Unity of South Sudan and the Members of the United Nations Security Council (05.09.2016)

Salva Kiir Poster

The Transitional Government of National Unity of South Sudan expressed its determination to implement the Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan.

NEW YORK, United States of America, September 5, 2016 – The Transitional Government of National Unity of South Sudan expressed its determination to implement the Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan, in particular the reform agenda, now that the Transitional National Legislative Assembly is in place. 

The members of the United Nations Security Council and the Transitional Government of National Unity agreed to work in a fresh spirit of cooperation to advance the interests of the South Sudanese people, particularly their aspirations for justice, liberty, and prosperity.  They agree that the humanitarian and security needs of the people are Paramount.

To improve the security situation, the Transitional Government of National Unity gave its consent to the deployment, as part of UNMISS, of the Regional Protection Force recently authorized by the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2304.  The United Nations Security Council agreed that troop contributors and UNMISS and the Transitional Government of National Unity will continue to work through the modalities of the deployment, building upon the consultations of August 25 and September 1 and anticipating further imminent discussions.

The Transitional Government of National Unity commits to permit free movement of UNMISS in conformity with its mandate, including to protect civilians.  To this end, the Transitional Government of National Unity commits to devising a plan with UNMISS by the end of September 2016 on concrete steps to remove impediments to UNMISS’s ability to implement its mandate, including reviewing procedures related to movement of UNMISS and streamlining bureaucratic processes.  UNMISS commits to inform the Transitional Government of National Unity of all movements and of other details as appropriate.

The Transitional Government of National Unity signals its readiness to implement Chapter V of the Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan, including to work with the African Union in setting up the Hybrid Court for South Sudan as soon as the African Union provides proposals for its work as provided in the Agreement. 

The Transitional Government of National Unity commits to immediately improve humanitarian access, including by providing assistance in eliminating illegal checkpoints and by reviewing by the end of September 2016 with the UN Humanitarian Coordinator, modalities for streamlining bureaucratic processes and access to populations in need.

Audio: Statement regarding meeting between UNSC and President Kiir

Press Statement of Organisers of Occupy Luthuli House #OccupyLuthuliHouse (04.09.2016)

OccupyLuthuliHouse

Thank you once again for coming and honouring this invitation at such short notice. As millions of South Africans witnessed on Friday, a revolution isn’t a bed of roses. However we equally believe what happened Friday was a blessing in disguise as millions of South Africans saw exactly why we are on this cause. South Africans witnessed how the ANC has deteriorated, South Africans saw a micro reflection of how ordinary members of the ANC are silenced and dealt with in branches. Millions of South Africans saw why we have severely lost our moral high ground and why we are fast losing respect from society and no longer leading it. Millions of South Africans witnessed the implications of people being parachuted as leaders yet have no inclination of what it means to be a disciplined member of the ANC. South Africans saw why residents of Tshwane, particularly young people didn’t vote for the ANC. South Africans this is what we are fighting against. We are fighting against institutional abnormalities, intellectual paucity and moral deficiency in our ranks. We are fighting to salvage what is left of this revolutionary movement started by dignified, astute and disciplined Africans. Africans who understood that militancy and radicalism was never tantamount to hooliganism. We are fighting against patriarchy and chauvinism that has seen many women in the ANC and overall society being isolated, labelled and man handled because their views were not advancing agendas.

In the most trying times we have never witnessed Tata Nelson Mandela insult, slander or belittle even leaders of apartheid, we have never witnessed O.R. Tambo man handle or intimidate those with dissenting views. We wish to reiterate that no one has ownership or intellectual property over the ANC as ANC belongs to society. Hence even in joyous moments we continue to appreciate that its ordinary people that proudly wear ANC colours, but also in times of despair let them do so. We wish to extend our unequivocal apologies to the management and staff of the Classique Hotel in Tshwane, the National Press Club who hosted the press briefing, but more importantly to you South Africans that witnessed a self-proclaimed ANC member and leader rape the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa by undermining and disregarding freedom of speech and expression. We apologise to the veterans that had to witness what YL members have degenerated to. It was embarrassing, humiliating but more than anything it was necessary so that society understands why we can no longer introspect but we must take action.

It is rather unfortunate that we as young people of the ANC are now at logger heads not on fundamental issues such as the implications of South Africa being part of BRICS, whether motive forces as presented in the ANC strategy and tactics document have changed, what are the implications of potential shifts in American and European politics, the Syria crisis, inequalities in our society, that millions of Black South Africans are still subjected to poverty, but unfortunately our generation is embroiled unnecessarily in the turmoil of factional politics led by senior leaders. Our senior leaders are dismally failing our generation, more eager and interested in succession battles as we lose power. Friday we saw live evidence that if we don’t act now this is what the future of the ANC will be.

We wish to reassure millions of South Africans that as bleak as the situation might be, there are ANC members who are decisively ready to change this trajectory. We refuse to stand silently in our corners and watch this erosion unfold, we refuse to be intimidated and if need be will die to save the ANC. Yet we are witnessing cowardice strangling our organisation, many people hiding behind the notion of organisational processes. Millions of South Africans saw how abnormal we have become. We are in a state of paralysis where ANC processes have been hijacked and manipulated and robust engagement oppressed.

We appeal to revolutionary consciousness of NEC members to do the right thing. Are they really willing to go down in history as those that were hell-bent to protect individual interests over the organisation?

As reiterated in our statement on Friday we wish to tell South Africans that Occupy Luthuli House is necessitated by time and space, however time is clearly not our side. The ANC is losing power, its losing society. We therefore call upon members of society, members of the ANC and non-members to please come and join us tomorrow so that we correct these wrongs. Our generation will not sit and watch this. We will never realise our generational mission of economic freedom in our lifetime if we sit and protect patronage, anarchy and just watch the ANC die at the hands of parasitic conformists.

Jacob+Zuma+March+17+2016

We reiterate our demands and why we are going to occupy Luthuli House

– That the ANC immediately recall President Jacob Gedleyehlekisa Zuma as President of the Republic of South Africa

– That NEC members follow suite and resign

– We call upon stalwarts of the ANC to take us to a consultative conference by December 2016

– The immediate implementation of conference Resolutions which will revive the ANC

– Disbanding the fees commission as it undermines conference resolutions of free and quality education by 2014

We are risking everything as we sit here, but we are inspired by the generation that formed the ANCYL risking everything to advance the armed struggle, we are inspired by those that have made contact and supported pour call. We call upon South Africans to please come tomorrow at 8 am as we converge first at the Bayers Naude square.

We acknowledge and respect the statement of the PEC of Gauteng, and what they have said is no different from all internal processes that have taken place. Unfortunately we also note the PEC’s silence on those who are claiming to defend Luthuli House and threatening violence. Self-proclaimed defenders have threatened violence when we just want to peacefully visit our own headquarters and visit our own leadership and request them to resign. The PEC has not condemned the violent and un-ANC behaviour of ANCYL Tshwane. We are aware that people are being mobilised to come and attack us. We maintain that this is a peaceful demonstration as a result of growing frustrations internally and externally. We continue to see growing frustrations expressed by many in public who seem to share the same sentiment.

We call upon all South Africans who support the ANC and those who voted and those in CBD to come and support us share our views to please come and join us. We remain resolute that we stand with the ANC; we are children of the ANC.

For more information

Contact

Bonolo Ramokhele

CORD coalition welcomes the Electrol Bill awaiting presidential assent (Youtube-Clip)

“The opposition CORD coalition has welcomed the move by members of parliament to pass the elections amendment bill 2016 without any amendments hence barring any politicians from party hopping after party primaries. CORD co-principals Kalonzo Musyoka and Moses Wetangula have put their members on notice to make a decision on whether they will stick to CORD or join other political parties before the party primaries. The bill now awaits the president’s assent” (KTN News, 2016).

Blood stains, shuttered glass left over after raid on Jean Ping’s campaign headquarters (Youtube-Clip)

“The headquarters of Gabon’s opposition presidential candidate Jean Ping is a strew of broken glass and smashed furniture as a result of a raid on the office last Wednesday by security forces. The raid was said to have happened late Wednesday evening after the declaration of Ali Bongo as winner of the poll” (AfricaNews, 2016)

#AmharaProtests: Continues killings from the Agazi Squad and Mercenaries in the Province!

 

Peace Ethiopia

Amhara proverb goes “a kid whose mother died and another, whose mother went to fetch water, cry equally.”

There been dropped bombs in Amhara province, there snipers in Baha Dir, killings in Gondar and so much more. The constant violence and massacre in the area from the Agazi Sqaud of the Ethiopian National Defence Force (ENDF), the Ethiopian government with their heavy artillery and troops are no going against the leaders of the Amhara people and also killings civilians who has been in streets.

Rumors are not only claiming that the hired mercenaries are South Sudanese who left the army, but hired men from the Former Vice President of South Sudan, who is in exile in Khartoum; Dr. Riek Machar and his deflected army of rebels has been hired by the Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegne and his Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF). If he has hired these men than the problems of South Sudan moves over the borders and hurt not only internal civilians in South Sudan, but now they are used to cause havoc in Ethiopia on hire by the ruling regime in Addis Ababa.

Amhara 03.09.2016

Displaced in Gondar because of the military:

Tigray regional government confirms the arrival of 4,060 people displaced from North Gondar zone in the past days. The displaced people are currently in Humera and Maykadra, Western Tigray zone. The regional government have assigned a coordinating committee, chaired by Haile Asfha, chief of Agriculture Bureau. Haile Asfha reportedly went to Humera to monitor the situation. The regional government allocated $200(4,500 birr) cash per household for the displaced people. Update: Another 2,000 people are expected to arrive tomorrow” (SiiTube, 03.09.2016).

As the worrying signs of brutality and killings continue and the desperation as the numbers of civilians officially killed during the last two months only in this region is 71. That is the official number and worries that it is much worse as the artillery and bombing of Gondar has happen. Together with the sniping and killings in Baha Dir; also the attacks in other parts of Amhara proves the systematic killing of the people. As the Ethiopian Parliament recently admitted that 2,5m people we’re missing from the region! 2, 5 million people just vanishing from the Ethiopian Parliament, this is not like missing a napkin, this is families upon families a giant city that disappeared into thin air. If that is isn’t staggering, than nothing goes under your skin!

In Gojar in Burie West at the Teshale Hotel there been found 6 dead today! And this is alone in one town today, one single incident of killings from the hired mercenaries and Agazi squad in the region.

In Metema the army has been having air-strikes over the people. How many and how much damage the Agazi and mercenaries has done in the town is troubling to say, as the only clear report is that the airstrikes has happen!

This numbers, this insane action and the even more silenced international community shows that killings and martial law without impunity is happening in the right zip-code because the sanctions against the EPRDF and ENDF is not happening. The Ethiopian Government and their army should get arms embargo and be sanctioned for their human rights violations. Their systematic killings that are genocidal. They should not be let of the hook. The Heavy Artillery and airstrikes towards their own citizens should not be something that doesn’t concern the rest of the world. It does, because they are just people like you and me. And they have the same values as the rest of us, the only difference they have a hostile government that is now currently doing what they can to kill and silence them, while the world doesn’t shed a single tear. Peace.

#AmharaProtests: The Western Media doesn’t care about it!

Baha Dir Snipers 02.09.2016

“We have also found evidence that foreign interests have actively been financing anti-peace elements based in the diaspora” – Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegne

It’s sad day for all the ones that are tormented by the Agazi Squad of the Ethiopian National Defence Force (ENDF) in the Amhara State, as a prison in Debretator burns and inmates escapes. That the Army is using helicopter and snipers killing civilians is not appalling the Western Media anymore apparently. They are appalled by the state of affairs that the fellow demonstrators are burning down Dutch Owned Flower Factories in the area.

Not amounts of citizens killed the cut of communications like Social Media, Internet connection and telephone; as the civil disobedience that is silenced by Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) and their special unit of Agazi. Together with 25,000 soldiers sent for the mission to silence them. That doesn’t the Associated Press, Washington Post or any other Western Media in general.

Like ESAT have reported:

A source from Bahir Dar who spoke to ESAT said over a thousand troops have arrived at the City Airport on Thursday and had received instructions from the Chief of Staff Samora Yunis, who established a command post in the city two days ago. The forces were warned about mingling with the public, the source said” (ESAT, 01.09.2016).

That is one city in the region that is taken over by the army as the soldiers are not supposed to engage the public or mingle with them. A thousand soldiers are occupying the local airport, not creating peace, but uncertain stability. That should make the world stutter, but for some reason it don’t.

More from ESAT:

In Amba Giorgis, TPLF forces shot and killed 26 people in the last two days alone. An eyewitness told ESAT that he suspect some soldiers were mercenaries bought by the regime to carry out the massacre. The source did say about the origins of the mercenaries but residence of Amba Giorgis believe they were Sudanese border security turned mercenaries by the TPLF. The forces went door to door, beating residents. Most of the youth in Amba Giorgis were hiding in the bushes to escape the massacre, the witness said adding that the town was under a complete siege by the forces” (ESAT, 01.09.2016).

That the flower farm burnings are worrying signs, but it is a reaction to the government violence in the region, as the citizens has no way of answering the government with force. They answer with peaceful means as their lives are on the line, the troops, heavy artillery and tanks taking over the streets. Still, the Western Media cares about the flower factories more than the dozen of lives that in the mercy of mercenaries and Agazi squad. Why doesn’t this create havoc and doesn’t make the world stunned about the shady ways of silencing the public in Amhara? Why nothing of any sort, but Dutch owned roses burning are the grand issue?

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs wrote this about it today:

The Prime Minister himself said foreign elements who do not want to see Ethiopia use its natural resources were distributing huge amounts of money to extremist Diaspora groups. In fact, this is not confined to those organizations which are given arms, money and support by the regime in Asmara, and which, like “Patriotic Ginbot”, make no secret of their aim to overthrow the government by force” (…) “Those taking advantage of the situation include critics of Ethiopia or supporters of Eritrea like Bronwyn Burton at the Atlantic Council who organized a roundtable in Washington on Wednesday this week. This offered two opposition politicians the opportunity  to discuss the current state of political affairs in Ethiopia without contradiction, allowing them to hold forth on what they claimed had been “primarily peaceful demonstrations”,  the cost of living, lack of employment opportunities and a restrictive political and media environment” (02.09.2016, Link:    http://www.mfa.gov.et/weekinthehorn/-/asset_publisher/2h3rKVhCHgKq/content/prime-minister-confident-in-the-government-s-ability-to-deal-with-problems?_101_INSTANCE_2h3rKVhCHgKq_viewMode=view).

EPRPF and PM Hailemariam Desalegne cannot be serious that snipers, mercenaries and tanks will bring peace? Giant rockets and heavy artillery to calm people down. If they wanted peace with Amhara people they wouldn’t come with troops and the strong national army they would come with dialogue and offering to justify the legitimacy of the actual government. Something that isn’t appearing or consideration, it is easy to kill the Amhara people because they are disposable; the international community only cares about the investments there anyway. That is why I am mad at the media.

This happens as the Government clearly bans and summons the business community in Finfinne. As the paperwork here shows:

Ethio Finfinne Order P1

Ethio Finfinne Order P2

There are also reports that farmers from Amhara and Oromo are planning to boycott selling food to Addis Ababa as a reaction to the oppression.

It shows the ability of resistance in the Amhara public when they do what they can to answer the central government violence. What is worrying is how little the international media cares about the military seizure of the region, how the check-points, snipers, tanks and all other equipment is used to kill civilians, but Dutch owned flowers are the step to far. Kill a few Amhara people, we don’t care, destroy Western investments in the region and all of sudden we should care. That is just cynical and damn wrong.

The Papers who has pressed the Associated Press story, congratulation for suppressing the key-issue; the reality as your looking at one piece of a giant problem that are militarized and pure violence on own citizens. It’s like looking at a dead tree near a polluted lake. Writing about the state of the tree, but not caring about the polluted lake that is destroyed the ability of the tree to live in the area. The same is the evident covering of the crisis, the massacre and the designated army attack on civilians in Amhara. Peace.

Statement by the Secretary-General on the situation in the Gabonese Republic (01.09.2016)

Gabon Parliament

I understand the frustration of the Gabonese people, and especially the youth.

NEW YORK, United States of America, September 1, 2016 – I am deeply concerned and saddened about the crisis in the Gabonese Republic provoked by the electoral crisis, in particular the arson attacks and disproportionate response of security agencies that has led to unfortunate loss of life and property.

I understand the frustration of the Gabonese people, and especially the youth, who  aspire to better living conditions and democratic reforms. The new government will have to take into account this message and the UN will be there to support these efforts.

It is essential that all political actors and the people of the Gabonese Republic exercise restraint and overcome their differences by peaceful means in the interest of national unity. 

I call on the government to immediately restore communications, especially the Internet, SMS and the independent radio and television.

I also call on the security forces to exercise the utmost restraint and to uphold international standards of human rights. I urge the authorities to release political detainees immediately and unconditionally. Those responsible for acts or incitement to violence will be held accountable.

The UN supports the call of regional and international observers for a transparent verification of election results. I call on the responsible institutions to deal swiftly, transparently and fairly with all complaints related to the presidential election. The Gabonese people deserve a credible electoral process.

UN Security Council in Juba to discuss deploying troops (Youtube-Clip)

“Delegates from the UN Security Council are due in South Sudan on Friday. They’re going to discuss the deployment of an additional 4-thousand peacekeepers to the country. However, President Salva Kiir’s government is hoping to convince the UN to scrap the plan. CCTV’s Patrick Oyet has this report from the South Sudanese capital, Juba” (CCTV Africa, 2016)