Statement attributable to the Spokesman of the Secretary-General on South Sudan (08.08.2016)

IGAD Plus

The Secretary-General welcomes the communique of the Heads of State and Government of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) Plus countries.

NEW YORK, United States of America, August 8, 2016 – The Secretary-General welcomes the communique of the Heads of State and Government of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) Plus countries. He commends the IGAD leaders for their decisive action and welcomes the Government of South Sudan’s acceptance of a regional protection force. He calls on all South Sudanese leaders to set aside their personal differences and demonstrate their commitment to the implementation of the Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan, which remains the only viable path to ending the crisis.

The Secretary-General remains deeply concerned about the continued fighting in the country and calls for an immediate end to the hostilities. He is outraged by the continued reports of serious human rights violations and abuses, including widespread sexual violence against women and young girls, committed by armed men in uniform. He calls on all parties to uphold their responsibility to protect civilians and demands that they take immediate steps to hold accountable those responsible for these despicable crimes.

The Secretary-General reiterates his commitment to work with all South Sudanese, IGAD, the African Union and international partners, to implement the recommendations of today’s summit.

South Sudan: Zero Draft Communique of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the IGAD Plus on the Situation in South Sudan (05.08.2016)

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IGAD-Plus meeting in Addis intervenes in South Sudan with 500 Regional Peacekeepers; what will it really mean to the nation?

IGAD Plus

Here we go again… and again. With more helmets, but what do these helmets really do? Fixing the bows and arrows or making sure the PoC sites are safe?

What where about to happen today:

“The Assembly of Heads of State and Government IGAD and the African Union Ad-hoc Committee on South Sudan, referred to as the IGAD Plus will this afternoon hold a Summit meeting in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to deliberate on the prevailing situation in South Sudan. The meeting will be chaired by H.E. Hailemariam Desalegn, Prime Minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and current Chairperson of the IGAD Assembly of Heads of State and Government with the attendance of Heads of State from the region and representatives from the UN, African Union, JMEC and IGAD” (IGAD Secretariat, 05.08.2016).

There been indicated from numerous sources that the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) who are holding a conference on the crisis in South Sudan have reported that the IGAD Plus heads of state has decided that the nation should accept 500 Peacekeepers in the Country.

IGAD Maagoub Maalim wanted it to be a ‘protective force’, that ‘we’re to prepare and implement of the Peace Agreement of 2015. That the forces we’re to ‘protection of civilians and on humanitarian issues’; the way the peacekeepers will be hashed out through the South Sudan Army Chiefs and the GoSS. The peacekeepers are not there to keep Dr. Riek Machar safe, but keep the Peace Agreement implemented.

The FVP Gen. Taban Deng Gai will stepdown when Dr. Riek Machar will return to Juba, as he said also in the days before he where swore in. But the initial reports of the IGAD Plus hasn’t said anything of the new cabinet under the TGoNU as the changes of getting rid of loyal Ministers from SPLM-IO have not been stated. As the loyalty to President Salva Kiir Mayardit is the ones behind before the GoSS delegation travelled to Addis Ababa.

What this will really mean for the fragile situation and the armies on the ground is not easy to say. As Dr. Riek Machar and his loyal soldiers is not part of the intervention and in the main discussion other than a bystander at the giant party in Ethiopia. The reality is that 500 peacekeepers can do something, but who pays for the battalions in South Sudan? Who of the noble leaders have state-coffers to sustain the extra mission? Who of the IGAD Plus have the manpower to fulfil the duty of having men stationed in Juba and beyond?

Are this a plan for President Kiir to get President Museveni to send his 500 UPDF soldiers to make sure the SPLA under him safe and sound while working under the paradigm of continuation of Kiir Government in Juba? That is just my conspiracy as the initial speculations to why President Museveni is so against Arms-Embargo as his fellow neighbour. We all know that Museveni might has interests to have a weapon trading partner; not just selling fruit-juice and beers from Kampala.

We can all over time see what this will have to say for the young nation. If this is just lose talk to silence the neighbours or sincere approach to generate a sort of peace between the fighting brothers. Peace.

Burundi has rejected the deployment of 228 UN police officers (Youtube-Clip)

“Burundi has rejected the deployment of 228 UN police officers. The government says the resolution authorizing the force was done without its consultation. The UN Security Council’s decision was part of international efforts to end the year-long unrest in the East African nation that has claimed more than 400 lives” (CCTV Africa, 2016)

The French circulated draft of a new UNSC Resolution on Burundi – “In Blue” (28.07.2016)

UNSC Burundi Draft P1UNSC Burundi Draft P2UNSC Burundi Draft P3UNSC Burundi Draft P4

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AU Letter on Morocco and Western Sahara from President Ali Bongo (26.07.2016)

AU letter to Marocco July 2016

Opinion: Indifference from the public is a gift to the Political Sphere!

news-media-standards

We live in a day and age where the content of information is accessible at any time of the day on all kind of formats. It isn’t only pamphlets, posters, newspapers and books. But there are blogs like this; it is digital videos, cable-TV, social-media and all the other ways of gaining information with or without membership pay-walls for the content. In that world of constant ability to gain this, it can either feed the hunger for knowledge or become tiring for the people as the constant newsflashes and breaking news can make your mind boggle and wonder what is really important.  Therefore before I continue let see a main definitions of Indifference!

Definitions of the Word:

“lack of interest in or concern about something: an indifferent attitude or feeling” (…)” 1:  the quality, state, or fact of being indifferent

2a archaic :  lack of difference or distinction between two or more things b :  absence of compulsion to or toward one thing or another” (Meriam Webster Dictionary).

As I tried to explain brief in this time and day, we’re all access to information and ability to download reports, getting brief headlines and watching reports on TV or tablets the clarity of what is important can sometimes not sink in. As we check the normal suspects for the commentary or the capability to get news and become reasonable updated on the matters at hand. Though there are stories lost and we can’t know what happens at every corner of the world, than we are stuck between all screens and behind every tweet dropped every hour of the day. We’ll live in a forever groundhog day and wish that we had comic talent of Bill Murray instead of trying to get up to date with current news.

tabloid-6

The fear is with the level of information, the different formats and the ability of entertainment and tabloid news. The simplistic and breaking is taking over for the hardcore policy discussions as the direct terror threats and artists dismissals seems more important than the issues of trading and health care policies. The indifference towards the reasons behind the migrations and the reasons for the crisis in Syria for instance are lost in the battle against terror. The devastating idea for why Tunisia, Libya and other states who was has been under fire since the Arab spring have been lost in tales of Clinton and British death, instead of the iconic and important support to build state institutions for the citizens. In countries that before this we’re built around grand dictators like Ben Ali and Gaddafi. Therefore the indifference to the solutions and the real deal behind the fragile state is worrying.

The worrying indifference to the abysmal understanding of the financial structure of Greece and Italy, as the banks of Italy are in limbo; while the state sales and economic liberation while drowning a debt-burden Greece in more greasy debt as they trying to cope with the level of migrations. We should ask ourselves if the European Union forgot counting people or building swimming-pools for the new rich investor elites that got ability to buy state-resources and key installations like Piraeus port harbor for few cents on the dollar. Therefore the indifference for the swallowing the pride and the reactions this might have for the Greek state.

Kagame Kabila Nkurunziza

The indifference for rigging elections and supporting peacekeeping armies on the African continent, while the UN Peacekeepers in C.A.R. are using their power to rape and destroy, not only generate peace, as the UN Mission in Western Sahara is more a luxurious club for diplomates than generating mediation and justice for the people under siege from Morocco. But the world is silent. That the DRC are planning to exile more opposition or even detain them before the General Election for a third term for President Kabila and nobody flick their eyes. While the opposition is under siege in Rwanda, but President Kagame is hailed for the economic recovery as the totalitarian leader are oppressive and using forces in the Kivu’s to still steal resources from the Congo. The world doesn’t care or tries to forget. While the Burundi are still in crisis as the third term of President Nkurunziza is bloody, friends and foes of the President vanish and assassinated, while the Inclusive Dialogue by EAC and AU under former Tanzanian President Mpaka are at a standstill. So the state of affairs is far from beautiful. The indifference to matters is staggering as the knowledge of these actions shouldn’t be forgotten.

I wonder if I feel alone on it, like so many didn’t notice the skirmishes and the recent battles from the militias in Beni, in Democratic Republic of Congo. If it was just the Congolese diaspora who wore the yellow color clothes on Sunday’s to remember the dead and spread awareness of the continuing warfare in the region. As the world have forgotten the violence and want to be rest assure that the cobalt and other resources need in the smartphones are exported to factories far away.

The ignorance and indifference are so big as the cable-news and grand media-houses focus on the click-bait and easy journalism instead of digging deep and having questions to the matters. Only following the money, the money always says how the ethical principles a man or woman has; as a person will only spend money on the things and people that they care about. That is a forgotten one, at one point of time with the PanamaPapers, the big media-houses followed it, but when the leaks when silent the interest dwindled as quickly as the importance of Blackburn in British football, which division are they now in?

niger-militants_BH

We can question if the world really want to care, as the violence, the single handily gun-men going on shooting spree and the endless bloodshed is sad to read about and would make your hard. The continuation of news on the freedom fighters or guerrilla of Niger Delta Avengers would be less interesting as long as they’re a giant force in Boko Haram that are steadily doing abductions, kidnaps and killings in Cameroon and Nigeria.

We can’t be able to be refreshed and know about all issues worldwide, but at least not care more about Pokemon Go, Donald Trump’s latest racist tweet or a Stephen Colbert skit. They might a moment of joy and laugh, but with the possible knowledge of destruction, lose forces and able information, we as people shouldn’t let this just go on without questioning the powers to be.

Because as long as the public is kept in the shadow and not knowing, the people will not be able to see what the government or civil society is doing. That gives leeway to do whatever. So with this in mind the people should be interested and question, wonder and check the resources and ability to gain information on the matters. Either if it by Youtube, library or on the newsstand; the government have it easier with ignorant public sphere and indifference to matters both domestic and international, as they don’t have to take a stand and change policy as long as the people doesn’t act upon the issue. Therefore the knowledge and questioning the businesses, government and NGO’s happens when the citizen’s acts upon what we know. Indifference is only earning the government and the ones that already are in power, the danger for them is if we already knows and can anticipate their moves. Because if so, then they can’t away with thieving, lying and deceit of public will. Indifference of this gives way and is a gift to political sphere. Peace.

Reference:

Meriam Webster – ‘Indifference’ link: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/indifference

Press Release: Suspended elections of Chairperson and Deputy Chairperson for the AU Commission (18.07.2016)

UG PR 18.07.2016

Readout of Secretary-General’s meeting with H. E. Yoweri Kabuta Museveni, President of Uganda (18.07.2016)

Salva Kiir Poster

NEW YORK, United States of America, July 18, 2016The Secretary-General met today with H. E. Yoweri Kabuta Museveni, President of Uganda, on the margins of the African Union Summit in Kigali. The Secretary-General and the President exchanged in-depth on the situation in South Sudan.

The Secretary-General and the President expressed grave concern about the situation in South Sudan, and exchanged views on practical measures that could be taken to address it. In this respect, the Secretary-General recalled his briefing to the Security Council on 13 July in which he proposed the imposition of an arms embargo, targeted sanctions against violators of human rights and international humanitarian law and the strengthening of UNMISS, in order to protect civilians.

The Secretary-General also referred to the demilitarization of Juba as a way of sustainably restoring security in the capital and facilitating the functioning of the Transitional Government of National Unity and the implementation of the agreement on the resolution of the conflict in South Sudan. President Museveni stressed the need to strengthen national ownership to ensure that any gain made towards peace and security is irreversible.

The Secretary-General commended the IGAD leaders for their untiring engagement in South Sudan, and said he was looking forward to the personal leadership of President Museveni and that of the other Heads of State and Government of the region. He also acknowledged Uganda’s contribution to AMISOM and the sacrifices made in this respect.

The Secretary-General and the President discussed the follow-up to the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, which Uganda is planning to ratify soon.

Seychelles Calls for Greater Monitoring of AU Expenditures (14.07.2016)

Faure Sey

VICTORIA, Seychelles, July 14, 2016Seychelles has called for greater operational accountability of the African Union through thorough monitoring and evaluation mechanism.

Speaking at the 29th Executive Council of the African Union in Kigali, Rwanda today, the Head of the Seychelles Delegation, the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Barry Faure, said that Seychelles was happy to support greater African ownership of African Union programmes but that stringent monitoring of the AU budget was of “paramount importance”.

He further called on the Union to “spend the resources efficiently and with utmost prudence”.

The Secretary of State added that Seychelles welcomed the re-alignment of the AU budget with the aspirational development program Agenda 2063 as the African Union tries to reduce its dependency on external funding.

The Seychelles delegation is currently attending the 27th Assembly of the African Union in Kigali, of which the gathering of Foreign Ministers forms part.

During this Summit the gathering of Heads of State are expected to address key development issues including but not limited to continental integration and the free movement of people.

Secretary of State Faure is heading the Seychelles delegation to the Executive Council and Assembly and is accompanied by the Permanent Representative to the African Union and Resident Ambassador in Addis Ababa, Mr Joseph Nourrice, Resident Seychelles Ambassador in Pretoria, Mr Claude Morel, and Principal Counsellor in the Seychelles Embassy in Addis Ababa, Mrs Amanda Bernstein.