“6000 men from the SPLA – IO join to Support TGONU government in the implementation of the peace agreement in South Sudan. it is the second video of my assignment to the rebel held territory to extend government support to the initiatives of the former rebel comanda that was fighting alongside Dr riek machar to join Taban Deng in the implementation of the peace agreement designed to end nearly three years of conflict” (Arusi James, 2016)
Tag: EAC
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)
African Union Special Representative urges continued assistance for Somalia’s security forces

Mogadishu, 29 August 2016 – The Special Representative of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission (SRCC) for Somalia, Ambassador Francisco Madeira, on Monday urged international partners to increase their support to the Somali National Army (SNA), describing the fight against militant insurgency by Al-Shabaab as at a “critical stage.”
Speaking at the conclusion of a six-day meeting of Force Commanders of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) and the SNA, Ambassador Madeira said a needs assessment task undertaken by both AMISOM and the Somalia National Army (SNA) was complete.
“The next step requires concrete operational commitments, logistical commitments and intelligence gathering commitments. It is something that cannot be done by SNA alone, AMISOM or development partners alone. It is something that can be effectively and successfully done with convergence and concurrence of all the three stakeholders,” Ambassador Madeira observed.
Madeira said following the assessment task a committee would soon be established to determine the requirements of training camps to be set under the Guulwade Plan, launched by the Somali Ministry of Defence, which outlines the SNA’s arms and equipment needs for effective joint operations with AMISOM. Under the plan, a total of 10,900 SNA troops, comprising units from the regions, would receive support from international partners for participation in joint operations with AMISOM.
The conference was attended by the AMISOM Force Commander, Lt. Gen. Osman Noor Soubagleh; SNA Chief of Defence Forces, Maj. Gen. Mohamed Aden Ahmed; SNA Deputy Chief of Defence Forces Brig. Gen. Ali Bashi, UN representatives and other senior AMISOM and SNA officers.
“We have been planning and preparing to ascertain the conditions for execution of offensives to disrupt, degrade and deny Al-Shabaab their freedom of movement and access to safe havens across Somalia,” Gen. Soubagleh noted.
Speaking on behalf of his troops, the SNA Deputy Chief of Defence Forces Brig. Gen. Ali Bashi promised its full participation in joint operations.
“We take AMISOM as a reliable partner. We will improve the way in which we coordinate. We will build the level of trust and build further on the meetings that we have had by meeting more regularly at all levels,” Brig Bashi added.
The meeting was meant to foster cordial working relations between the officers and enhance collaboration in operations against Al-Shabaab.
Presidential spokesperson: No political future for Riek Machar (Youtube-Clip)
“CCTV’s Clementine Logan spoke to South Sudan’s presidential spokesperson. She began by asking Ateny Wek Ateny whether the army is, as Riek Machar recently claimed, still pursuing the former first vice president” (CCTV Africa, 2016)
Africa Union seeks solution to end recent fighting in South Sudan (Youtube-Clip)
“African leaders have been scrambling for a solution to end the crisis in South Sudan. A peace agreement signed last year collapsed last month, before the world’s youngest nation could celebrate five years of independence. Hundreds of people have lost their lives and at least 40-thousand have been displaced. CCTV spoke to Doctor Aisha Abdullahi, the Commissioner for Political Affairs at the African Union about viable solutions the organisation has for South Sudan” (CCTV Africa, 2016)
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)
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)
The Heat: South Sudan in crisis Pt 1,2 & 3 (Youtube-Clip)
Part II:
Part III:
Statement by Adama Dieng, United Nations Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide on the situation in Burundi (25.08.2016)

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.
South Sudan Opposition responds to John Kerry’s comments (Youtube-Clip)
“South Sudan’s main opposition party has been reacting to comments made by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on the crisis in the country. On one hand, the party has welcome Kerry saying a third force needs to be deployed to Juba to ensure peace. President Salva Kiir has been against that move. But on the other hand, the opposition party’s criticised Kerry’s decision not to push Riek Machar’s return to office. Kerry made the comments in Kenya following a meeting of East African foreign ministers” (CCTV Africa, 2016)

