




The number of people experiencing severe food insecurity across the country is likely to drop to 4.8 million for October to December, down from six million in June.
JUBA, South Sudan, November 6, 2017 – The current harvest season in South Sudan will not end the hunger crisis as conflict persists in most of the country and hyperinflation puts food out of reach for many, according to the updated Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) released today by the Government of South Sudan, the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization, UN Children’s Fund, the World Food Programme, and other humanitarian partners.
The number of people experiencing severe food insecurity across the country is likely to drop to 4.8 million for October to December, down from six million in June. However, the 4.8 million who are severely food insecure are 1.4 million more than at the same time last year, and much of this growth has been in the Emergency category (step 4 on the IPC’s 5-step scale).
“The harvest season has not brought much relief to the millions of people in South Sudan who don’t have enough food. The country’s greenbelt has been ravaged by fighting, and finding a peaceful solution to this man-made tragedy should be the top priority or the situation will get even worse next year,” said Serge Tissot, FAO’s Representative in South Sudan.
The food security situation is projected to deteriorate at the start of 2018 and the ‘hungry season’ – when households typically run out of food before the next harvest – is forecast to start three months earlier than usual. Many people have few means of coping with the stresses of the lean season, and the situation is forecast to become increasingly fragile.
“A massive humanitarian response helped stop famine in parts of the country this year. But even in the current harvest period, millions of people need sustained assistance to survive,” said Adnan Khan, WFP Representative in South Sudan. “It is chilling to see that in a worst-case scenario, similar conditions could appear in multiple places in the lean season in 2018.”
The teams who conducted the analysis identified two counties, Wau and Ayod, where a total of 25,000 people are facing catastrophic conditions according to the IPC scale. Of greatest concern is Greater Baggari, a sub-area of former Wau, where 10 per cent of the population is facing famine-like conditions because insecurity has heavily constrained livelihood activities and humanitarian assistance.
There is an urgent need for a humanitarian corridor from Wau to Greater Baggari area to allow agencies to provide comprehensive assistance.
Critical levels of malnutrition
Malnutrition has also worsened compared to the same period last year, with surveys showing malnutrition rates in most communities well above the World Health Organization’s emergency threshold of 15 percent, and with more than 30 percent of the population malnourished in several counties.
More than 1.1 million children under the age of five are forecast to be malnourished in 2018, including nearly 300,000 severely malnourished and at a heightened risk of death.
“Too many children are going hungry in South Sudan. More than one in five of those struggling to feed themselves is a child under five years of age,” said Mahimbo Mdoe, UNICEF’s Representative in South Sudan. “This has created a malnutrition crisis that is putting many lives at risk.”
Food prices soar
Insecurity continues to hamper food production and disrupt markets. Coupled with a failing economy, this has led to extremely high food prices. Large sacks of staples such as sorghum, maize, and wheat flour have increased in price by up to 281% compared to last year, and were as high as 560% during May, the peak of the lean season.
In Juba, a 100kg bag of sorghum costs 11 285 South Sudanese Pounds (SSP), compared to 4 314 SSP a year ago, and is vastly beyond what most families can afford.
Nationally, millions of people are surviving on humanitarian assistance in South Sudan, and if security conditions further threaten organizations’ operations the situation will rapidly worsen.
The report warns that continued conflict coupled with further access constraints on aid agencies and economic instability will likely result in the deterioration of already dire conditions in multiple locations across South Sudan in 2018.
Rapid response
Humanitarian teams are facing enormous logistical and security challenges to reach communities in need.
FAO has provided fishing, crop- and vegetable-growing kits to more than 4.2 million people, many in difficult to reach or conflict-affected areas, to support them to grow or catch their own food. FAO has also vaccinated more than 4.8 million livestock, to protect these livelihood assets for vulnerable families.
UNICEF, together with its partners, has treated more than 160,000 children with severe acute malnutrition (SAM) so far this year. It has a target for the year of reaching 207,000 malnourished children across the country. As part of its multi-sectoral approach to addressing the issue, UNICEF has also provided over 750,000 people with safe drinking water and a further 230,000 people with access to sanitation facilities.
WFP and its partners have has assisted 4.6 million people in South Sudan so far in 2017 with cash or food, including nutrition support for children under the age of five years. Emergency mobile teams usually travelling by helicopter on over 135 missions to areas isolated by conflict have supported 1.8 million people this year.

UNAMID peacekeepers on the ground during the incident reported that more than 100 government military vehicles, including trucks with mounted weapons and armoured personnel carriers, briefly entered parts of the camp.
EL FASHER, Sudan, November 6, 2017 – On 2 November 2017, armed government forces entered Kalma IDP camp, South Darfur, in a show of force to conduct a weapons collection campaign in the state.
UNAMID peacekeepers on the ground during the incident reported that more than 100 government military vehicles, including trucks with mounted weapons and armoured personnel carriers, briefly entered parts of the camp.
“While UNAMID acknowledges the significance of the ongoing arms collection exercise, it regrets the entry by the Government forces to Kalma IDP camp was not coordinated with the mission to avoid any potential tension and violence”, said UNAMID Joint Special Representative, Jeremiah Mamabolo.
“We call on the Government and IDPs to work with UNAMID in a collaborative way in order to advance the weapons collection campaign.”
Following Thursday’s incident, UNAMID continues to engage with government authorities and Kalma IDP camp leaders in accordance with its protection of civilians mandate.





The Eritrean Law Society (ELS) is closely observing developments that have led to, and that have followed after, the unprecedented civilian protest of 31 October 2017, which occurred in the heart of the capital city of Eritrea. The protest was prompted by the announcement of a drastic government decision that affected the status of educational establishments administered by Eritrean religious institutions. Another major motive for the protest is the arbitrary arrest of respected elders and spiritual leaders, notably Haji Mussa Mohammed Nur, who strongly opposed the government decision.
Although the details of causalities are not yet fully known, ELS is concerned by the fact that brute force, including live ammunition, was used to suppress the protest, which was nothing more than a peaceful demonstration against a drastic government measure affecting the lives of thousands of people. In our view, the protest signifies one fundamental reality. In today’s Eritrea, citizens have no choice of whatsoever nature in pursuing their individual and group aspirations, life plans, goals, and purposes. Eritreans do not also have access to independent and impartial institutions, including courts of law that can safeguard their fundamental rights and freedoms in the event these essential entitlements are wantonly violated by government authorities.
History dictates that no population can be ruled forever under the yoke of unbearable authoritarianism. There is an urgent need in Eritrea for a full return to a system of governance based on constitutional order, the requirements of democratic accountability, and respect for the rule of law, including the protection of fundamental rights and freedoms of the Eritrean people. ELS would like to take this occasion to make a call on the international community and those who can play a role by pushing for a full return to a democratic system of governance in Eritrea.
Meanwhile, the following reminder is also important for all peace-loving and justice-seeking Eritreans. We shall stay the course and remain vigilant against all sorts of divisive and cheap political machinations orchestrated by the authoritarian regime in Eritrea, its brazen apologists and messengers. It is always important to remember that the regime will make continuous recourse to methods that promote its narrow political agenda as well as frustrate the momentum ushered by the protest of 31 October.
Eritrean Law Society
Executive Committee
November 2, 2017

The government has escalated its move against my father Gen. Paul Malong Awan by removing his privileges
This afternoon my father was informed he must release his body guards to their units, surrender his cellphones, guns and that all visitations of any kind to him including those from family members children and wives are not permitted except with approval from the authorities.
This message was delivered by Lt. Gen. Magar Buong Aluenge on behalf of the SPLA Commander in Chief and the President of the Republic of South Sudan, Gen. Salva Kiir Mayardit. Lt. Gen. Buong was accompanied by the Director General of Military Intelligence.
Since we are all in the dark on the reasons behind this escalation, I am informing the public of this move to ensure that they are in the know in case of further escalations.
_ The End _
Anei Malong

The Capitol Hill report or the Congress Report Service (CRS) who are making studies into wished subjects of the Congress, has recently dropped and made a report into the United States Armed Mission in Niger. Not that it says much and it is shown to be careful with dropping intelligence, as this is a continued mission against Islamist insurgents and militants together with allies of the American government. Therefore, dropping to much intelligence and to much information would spoil the mission themselves. That is why the CRS isn’t saying much new, but shows the state of affairs and the reasoning of United States to interfere on foreign soil. They are even proving the capacity of forces and planned army base in Niger. As they are clearly now cooperating with other armies and camps, where they are based. Since they are building one in the northern town of Agadez. Take a look!
“Following the October 4 attack, DOD officials have publicly cited a larger figure of 800 U.S. military personnel in Niger. 17 These figures presumably comprise personnel stationed in the capital, Niamey, as well as those deployed in more remote areas. Notably, a U.S. Air Force facility is under construction in the northern city of Agadez (Figure 1), which the Air Force has described as supporting U.S. logistical and intelligence capacities in the sub-region, and which U.S. diplomats have described as supporting the Niger government’s capacity to secure its borders” (…) “U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) describes the U.S. military presence in Niger, as in most places in Africa, as a “light footprint,” suggesting that a more extensive and/or conventional military mission could require more extensive airlift, close air support capacity, and contingency planning” (CRS, P: 4-5, 2017).
“Advisory activities in which U.S. personnel are embedded with local security forces, as was apparently the case in the mission that came under attack on October 4, according to DOD officials” (CRS, P: 7, 2017).
“The “golden hour” is described as the first 60 minutes following trauma or the onset of acute illness, where chances of a patient’s survival are considered greatest if advanced trauma life support can be provided. DOD notes that, “historically, wound data and casualty rates indicate that more than 90 percent of all casualties die within the first hour of severe wounding without advanced trauma life support.”58 U.S. military medical support is generally structured to meet this standard of one hour or less” (…) “In the case of the October 4 Niger ambush, at least one Special Forces medic (see below) was present, but he was killed during the ambush. DOD stated the two U.S. soldiers wounded during the ambush were medically evacuated by French air assets to Niamey during the firefight, and that this medical evacuation was “consistent with the casualty evacuation plan that was in place for this particular operation” (CRS, P: 12-13, 2017).
“Niger’s Interior Minister Mohamed Bazoum stated in a media interview on October 19 that those who carried out the attack were “youths under the influence of Abu Walid al Sahrawi” who were based in the Niger/Mali border region. Possibly reflecting the extremely complex nature of militant allegiances in the sub-region, Bazoum also suggested that the assailants were loyal to Iyad ag Ghali, a Malian national who heads the Al Qaeda-aligned JNIM, although some analysts portray JNIM and IS-GS as rivals rather than allies. The Interior Minister indicated in his remarks that Niger’s government had yet to identify the precise assailants” (CRS, P: 16, 2017).
We clearly will not know everything now, but there is openings and questions to be asked. There have already been questions over how long it took to get the bodies of the fallen American soldiers from the place of fire. Also, the aftermath of the ambush opening a lot of questions.
That we will know more with time and hope this get investigated, as there are many leads and many more questions arising, as the Department of Defense should have own intelligence on the ambush and the days before. Since, they are there together with the Niger’s own military and French soldiers, these are all in the Sahel region to clear militant Islamist’s there. Clearly, there are some intelligence that is left our or clearly not studied. Since the CRS report are a stripped report. There has already been reported about the ambushes and local chiefs interfering on behalf Islamist’s in the area. This has been overshadowed in this report.
That this report also not look into the failure of human intelligence, because of this Niger ambushed could have been warned against and the troubles in Tongo Tongo close to the border of Mali. Together with the ambush of motorcycles and other reports, that has been neglected. Proves that the CRS are trying to stifle information or not investigate it at all. Just going by the information of different sources in the days after, you could get more intelligence of it, than by the CRS. Therefore, the report didn’t tell much, just showing what official sources within the DoD. Peace.
Reference:
Congressional Research Service – ‘Niger: Frequently Asked Questions About the October 2017 Attack on U.S. Soldiers’ (27.10.2017)

The Ethiopian Armed Forces has returned and arrived again on Somali soil. This after a call between EPRDF and the Transitional Government in Mogadishu. Clearly, the Al-Shabaab insurgency is out of control with the two recent bombings in the Republic. That the Somali President Faramaajo has to call on Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn to send troops into Somalia. This is after even the mandate of AMISOM is strong and Kenyan presence is there. Certainly, the Somali government has weaken their position and the strengthen of own troops must be hurt by this. As the Ethiopian government sends 1000 troops into Somali territory.
The AMISOM apparently needs the support of Ethiopia and Kenya to achieve their goals of stopping Al-Shabaab, they cannot do it without, as the government haven’t the trained soldiers or the bullets to do so themselves. That is evident as the Ethiopian soldiers are pouring into Somalia. You can wonder who are paying the salaries and fixing the equipment of the armed combatants there. They are usually not fighting wars for free. Especially not from a broke state and with massive demonstrations as Ethiopia. At this moment, this must be giving funding to a broke state and also help them with diplomatic support to facilitate and help the Federation of Somalia. Clearly, it cannot be keep the horn peaceful, as the soldiers themselves has been used in Amhara and Oromia to quell demonstrators over the recent years, killing civilians and tormenting them. We will see what they will achieve and when the conference call for the operations is launched.
“ESAT News (November 2, 2017) Hundreds of Ethiopian troops have crossed into Somalia help new offensive by the Somali government against Al-Shabaab militants. The VOA report quoted residents in the border town of Dolow, in Somalia’s Gedo region, as saying that they saw at least 30 vehicles carrying Ethiopian troops crossing into Somalia late Tuesday. The locals estimate that about 1000 Ethiopian troops have entered Somalia on Tuesday” (ESAT, 02.11.2017).
“Regional authorities contacted by VOA on Wednesday confirmed the new Ethiopian military movements.“The Ethiopian troops as a part of AMISOM have already been in the region, and their current movement is part of the response to the Somali president’s call for a massive attack on al-Shabab militants,” said Mohamed Husein al-Qadi, the deputy governor of Gedo region” (DireTube, 02.11.2017).
“MOGADISHU, Somalia – Border residents say thousands of Ethiopian troops have crossed into Somalia to accompany a large-scale offensive against al-Shabab extremists. The offensive comes after a truck bombing in Somalia’s capital last month killed more than 350 people. Somalia’s president has visited countries in the expanse to seek more military sustain. Abdullahi Yusuf, an elder in Luq town, says Ethiopian troops in tanks and armored vehicles passed by Thursday morning toward southwestern Somalia” (Uxcnc.com, 02.11.2017).
We can wonder if the United States or any other sponsor of AMISOM asked the President of Somalia to this call, to again call upon the Ethiopian troops to clear the streets as they have done in the past. As they did for instance in 2006, 2011 and 2016, and so on. This to get rid of Somali problems, but leaving power-vacuum and opening up for more violence. As long as they have come in either as invading force, supported by Americans like in 2006 or other times. They have not left Somalia better, but more wounded ready to taken by other warlords or other leaders who has had their selfishness instead of building government.
We can wonder if this will bring any hope or be used for greater Ethiopian pride, if he EPRDF are using this or the TPLF are using this as a deflection from the problems in their state. The Ethiopian state is not a great stage right now. The demonstrations and the killings of civilians continue as well as activists are detained together with opposition leaders. The Ethiopian leadership needs this conflict with Al-Shabaab to look good and also possibly make people forget their own actions against their own citizens.
We can wonder what the Somali President are considering and his motives behind getting Ethiopian forces as well, as the AMISOM and Kenyan forces on his soil. There are lots of foreign forces protecting the Somali life, they are there paid by foreign donors, therefore their loyalty isn’t to the Transitional Government, but to the donors. When the donors stop, they will leave and fight conflicts elsewhere. While the Somali government are also trying to change the regional leadership in the federation to make sure they are more Mogadishu friendly and not as independent to make agreement with foreign nations without the permission of Mogadishu, as the DP World contract is evident off.
We can just wonder how long the Ethiopian forces will be on Somali soil and to what extent their mandate is, as the AMISOM and the Al-Shabaab vows is not over. Peace.

