“South Sudan’s first vice president says his visit to neighbouring Sudan aims to consolidate peace between the two countries. Taban Deng Gai says he has President Salva Kiir’s personal commitment to establishing concrete and productive relations with Sudan. Deng Gai arrived in Khartoum on Sunday. CCTV’s Patrick Oyet has more from Juba” (CCTV Africa, 2016)
Category: Diplomacy
Ethiopian government says protest regions now calm (Youtube-Clip)
“Reactions from Ethiopia after the United States issued a travel advisory to its citizens. The U.S. warning comes following protests in Ethiopia. While government has dismissed the advisory as standard from the Americans, analysts say there could be consequences. CCTV’s Girum Chala tells us more” (CCTV Africa, 2016)
RDC: Communique de Press Conjoint – Le Minister Provincial de l’Interieur du Hau Lomami Ordonne a la Police Nationale Congolaise de Reprimer la Marche Pacifique des Militants de L’UDPS (20.08.2016)


Ethiopian Gov. responce to the OHCHR Report on the #OromoProtest (18.08.2016)


Iran Urges Implementation of Free Trade Agreement with Iraq (20.08.2016)
TEHRAN – Head of the Trade Promotion Organization of Iran Valiollah Afkhami Rad called for efforts to implement a free trade agreement with Iraq that officials from the two countries signed two years ago.
In a meeting with a delegation from Iraq’s Ministry of Trade in Tehran, Afkhami Rad said in order for a boost to the volume of bilateral trade exchange, Iran and Iraq need to carry out a free trade agreement signed by the two countries’ officials at an exclusive exhibition organized by Iran in Baghdad back in 2014.
To implement that agreement, Tehran and Baghdad can begin with preferential trade arrangements and then reciprocally eliminate tariffs on certain goods, he added.
For his part, Iraq’s Deputy Trade Minister Walid Habib al-Helou, who is heading the delegation, hailed Tehran’s support for Baghdad in the fight against terrorism which has contributed to Iraq’s victories over the Daesh (ISIL or ISIS) terrorist group, saying that it has further motivated Iraqis to boost trade exchanges with Iran.
In May 2014, Iranian first vice-president called for a major boost to the economic ties between Tehran and Baghdad, saying the two neighboring countries should draw up a plan to raise the volume of their annual trade turnover to $20 billion.
And last week, Chairman of Iran-Iraq joint chamber of commerce said Iran’s share of Iraq’s annual foreign trade is totally inadequate, saying China and Turkey have overtaken Iran in exports to Iraq.
Iraq’s market has a capacity of $190 billion in annual trade, while the total volume of Tehran-Baghdad trade exchange in the past three years makes up a small percentage of that number, Yahya Al-e Eshaq deplored.
Nepal: Deputy Prime Minister Calls on the Prime Minister of India (20.08.2016)

Communique de Presse de la LUCHA en rapport avec les Mesures de “Decrypation Politique” (20.08.2016)


Statement from Robby Mook on Manafort’s resignation (19.08.2016)


Claimed payments:

Dr Noah Manyika | I don’t believe that the $15 billion is missing (Youtube-Clip)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahsH2VHI6Lo
“Let me cut right to the chase and say to President Robert Mugabe: I am sorry Mr. President, but I do not believe that the fifteen billion dollars is missing. I cannot believe that it is missing simply because you tell the nation that it is. The reality is that fifteen billion dollars does not just go missing. Somebody knows where it is and why it is where it is” (…) “This is a serious matter that needs every Zimbabwean to be seriously exercised about. We are entering a period where we cannot afford not to be vigilant, not to be suspicious of a party that has become accustomed to doing evil” (…) “It is important for the international community to recognize that our minister of finance’s desperate pleas for help do not mean Zanu PF has changed, or that it does not have a plan to foil the will of the people in 2018. It is one thing to be desperate, and quite another to have changed one’s ways” (…) “Like the $15 billion we are asked to believe is missing, we are also asked to believe that this government has nothing to do with the disappearance of Zimbabwe’s sons and daughters like Itai Dzamara, Rashiwe Guzha and others before them” (…) “Countrymen, this is Dr. Noah Manyika from Build Zimbabwe saying: Do not believe a lie. Is there not a cause? #BuildZimbabwe”
Hundreds of Children recruited by Armed Groups in South Sudan, as Violations against Women and Children Increase (19.08.2016)

An estimated 16,000 children have been recruited by armed groups and armed forces since the crisis in South Sudan first began in December 2013.
NEW YORK, United States of America, August 19, 2016 -More than 650 children have been recruited into armed groups in South Sudan since the beginning of this year, UNICEF said today. Fearful that renewed conflict could put tens of thousands of children at ever greater risk, UNICEF called for an immediate end to recruitment and the unconditional release of all children by armed actors.
An estimated 16,000 children have been recruited by armed groups and armed forces since the crisis in South Sudan first began in December 2013. UNICEF said children continue to be recruited and used by armed groups and forces despite widespread political commitment to end the practice. “The dream we all shared for the children of this young country has become a nightmare,” said UNICEF Deputy Executive Director Justin Forsyth, speaking from Nairobi following a trip to Bentiu and Juba in South Sudan. “At this precarious stage in South Sudan’s short history, UNICEF fears that a further spike in child recruitment could be imminent.”
In 2015 UNICEF oversaw the release of 1,775 former child soldiers in what was one of the largest demobilizations of children ever. Renewed fighting and recruitment in South Sudan risks undermining much of this progress.
UNICEF also highlighted increased grave violations in the world’s youngest country, noting that gender-based violence, already pervasive, has greatly intensified during the current crisis.
“Children continue to endure horrific ordeals,” said Forsyth. “Recent reports point to widespread sexual violence against girls and women. The systematic use of rape, sexual exploitation and abduction as a weapon of war in South Sudan must cease, together with the impunity for all perpetrators.”
UNICEF noted that unconditional access for all humanitarian interventions in Juba and all other parts of the country is urgently needed so as to provide support, protection, and assistance to children and women across the country.“Without a fully operational humanitarian sector, the consequences for children and their families will be catastrophic,” said Forsyth.


