UNICEF Response to South Sudan Refugee Situation (04.08.2016)

19-07-16southsudan

KAMPALA, Uganda, August 4, 2016 – Situation

  • 4,074 South Sudanese refugees arrived on August 2, 2016, nearly three times the number of new arrivals on July 31, which was 1,274.
  • 55,920 South Sudanese Refugees arrived since 7th July 2016.
  • According to UNHCR, the priorities are: Rapid opening of the newly identified settlement area in Yumbe district; decongesting the reception and transit centres; increasing coverage of health and nutrition staff; expansion of water, sanitation and hygiene infrastructure and services and procurement of medical drugs and supplies for the period of Oct-Dec 2016.

UNICEF Humanitarian response

Health & Nutrition:

  • Immunisation: From 18th July- 02 August, UNICEF and its partners have immunized 15,563 children under the age of 15 years against measles and 16,840 children below 5 years of age have received Bivalent Oral Polio Vaccine at Elegu in Adjumani, Kerwe in Yumbe and Keri in Koboko.
  • 902 women aged 15-49 years have been immunized against tetanus.
  • 31,192 under-five children have been dewormed to boost their immunity while 6,256 under-five children have received Vitamin A supplements to enable them retain nutrient contents of food and facilitate normal growth.
  • General Health: From 18th July- 02 August, 164 refugees have been treated for malaria, 11 treated for watery diarrhoea and 30 treated for various injuries like minor accidents on the road.
  • Nutrition: Between 18th July – 02 August, 6,220 children under-five years of age were screened for malnutrition; the 6.5 per cent found with Global Acute Malnutrition and 2.5 per cent with Severe Acute Malnutrition have been referred for appropriate nutrition rehabilitation at health centres and outreach treatment centres.

Water, Sanitation and Hygiene

  • UNICEF has constructed 10 temporary bathing shelters, 10 temporary latrines, installed a water treatment system, and installed a water tank and tap stands.
  • At Elegu 1 & 2, UNICEF has provided 10 hand washing facilities and 10 buckets to promote hand washing at critical times. The facilities are managed by Lutheran World Federation (LWF) at Elegu 1 and Water Mission Uganda at Elegu 2.

Education:

  • UNICEF and partners participated in an education assessment in the Pagirinya refugee settlement and in Yumbe District.  Renovation of existing school facilities, construction of extra classrooms, the establishment of integrated early childhood development centres, recruitment of caregivers, training of caregivers, recruitment of teachers and teaching assistants, and construction of teachers’ accommodation, are all being recommended.
  • Pagirinya 1A feeder primary school P.1-P.4 has registered close to 1,500 children; only 10 trained teachers and 9 classroom assistants are presently at the school to support the registered children
  • UNICEF is supporting to set up 30 early childhood development centres in Yumbe, Arua and Adjumani through Plan International.

Child Protection:

  • Save the Children and UNICEF continue to conduct the identification, registration, and on-spot re-unification of separated and unaccompanied children at Elegu, Nyumanzi Transit Centre and Pagirinya refugee settlement; 272 unaccompanied children and 441 separated children have been registered while 18 missing children have been traced and re-united with their families; psychosocial support is being provided to all unaccompanied children.

South Sudan are more fragile as the SPLM-IO minister’s sacked from the TGoNU; the continued reports are staggering of a deteriorated state of affairs!

South Sudan 21.07.2016 SPLMIO Deflector

The Peace Agreement of 2015 deteriorates as the newly formed government takes place and the torn relationship between Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement in Opposition (SPLM-IO). As the start of July the new violence erupted between the two parties of President Kiir and his First Vice President Machar. Here is the newest:

“The president of South Sudan, Salva Kiir, has sacked six ministers allied to his long-time rival, Riek Machar. He has replaced them with people linked to a breakaway faction of Mr Machar’s SPLM-IO party. The posts include the key interior and petroleum ministries. Correspondents say this will further fuel the tension between Mr Kiir and Mr Machar. Their forces have engaged in renewed fighting during the past three weeks. The United Nations says this has caused a further sixty-thousand people to flee South Sudan, and is pushing the country towards a humanitarian catastrophe” (BBC Africa, 03.08.2016).

So with the loyalist from SPLM-IO have been sacked by President Salva Kiir as the problems between Dr. Riek Machar and him continues with new battles that happen in Juba in early July and to this day. This show the worrying signs of a new conflict between the Executive Kiir and the rebel Machar. Even with two years of military conflict between the parties and the peace agreement of late 2015; this also leads to massive amounts of refugees from South Sudan are estimated at the levels of 60,000 who have crossed to neighbour countries. 30,000 have crossed to Uganda alone. So the need for Humanitarian assistance to the refugee camps in Uganda, Kenya and Ethiopia needs funding for the newly arrived refugees there. Together with the food-drops from UN World Food Program who has been raided their main storage houses in Juba, therefore the new tactic for food delivery is dropping food over areas to stop the humanitarian crisis happening with the military operations in the country; as the levels of cholera is also rising as reported by UNICEF.

Juba Cholera

A report on Cholera:

“At least 522 cases and 17 people have died because of a cholera outbreak in South Sudan, according to the ‘Situation Report #15 on Cholera in South Sudan’, from July 30, 2016. The Ministry of Health announced a suspected outbreak of the water-borne illness on July 18, 2016” (South Sudan Today, 01.08.2016).

There are also reports like this:

Makuei made the remarks after a Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (JMEC) meeting in Khartoum during which the commission concluded that South Sudan’s August 2015 peace deal is at the verge of collapse and demanded immediate intervention.“I think there is something wrong with JMEC,” Makuei told reporters in Juba on August 2. He says the JMEC must prove itself to be a joint body, otherwise the commission is “useless” and “will not serve the interest of South Sudan and will not help in the implementation of the agreement” (…) “Makuei says the government will proof to Akol that the peace agreement hasn’t collapsed. “He has been carried away by his ambitions, because Lam Akol has his own ambition of becoming the president of South Sudan. The same with Riek Machar and the two cannot go together,” says Makuei, adding that “the two only agree when they are not in power, but once they are in power, they disagree” (TheNiles.org, 03.08.2016).

This report also:

“The government of South Sudan has dismissed reports circulating on social media that Riek will capture Juba. Information Minister Michael Makuei said during the press conference yesterday evening that the news circulating on social media is untrue and media propaganda.

“There are a lot of wild rumors these days on the social media and our people are made to believe that the news is correct. Riek Machar is on the run, would you expect him to organize forces from nowhere and prepare to attack Juba from four directions – this is media propaganda,” he said” (…) UNMISS did not come here to come and colonize us, but it came to serve the people of South Sudan. All the international NGOs that came to South Sudan did not come to South Sudan to conquer it,” he said. “The way these organizations are behaving is unbecoming. Some have abandoned their mandates and have started to do different jobs which are not within their mandates. Writing controversial reports and slipping them out without informing the government and those reports go and appear over there.” (The National Courier, 03.08.2016).

As this is happening with the sackings the decree and swearing-in of new loyalist of President Kiir has happen as the Government or newly created TGoNU are occurring. The President have made sure he has own men in as the former FVP Machar have gone to the bush. The SPLM-IO and others have been gotten rid of and in initially have this given more power directly to the SPLM and the President. As he has gotten a new FVP Gen. Taban Deng Gai former SPLM-IO who has been sacked from SPLM-IO, so he is no longer part of Dr. Riek Machar.

This has also been reported:

“Over one hundred United Nations workers were recently denied entry or deported at the Juba International Airport due to new regulations issued by the Directorate of Immigration, sources tell Radio Tamazuj” (…) “The new regulations “is a clear violation of the spirit and intent of the Status of Forces Agreement” Shantal Persaud, a spokesperson for the United Nations Mission in South Sudan told Radio Tamazuj over email. “These new rules apply only to UNMISS and UN agency personnel and not to all internationals” (…)”Persaud said that four UNMISS personnel were deported this weekend, and pointed out that the peace agreement states that “The Government undertakes to facilitate the entry into and departure from South Sudan, without delay or hindrance, of the Special Representative and members of UNMISS as well as from payment of any fees or charges on entering into or departing from South Sudan” (Radio Tamazuj, 02.08.2016).

So with the changes of TGoNU or TGNU shows the legitimate problems with the central government of Salva Kiir in South Sudan, as the responsible agreements between his SPLM and SPLM-IO; this continues with the violence between the political and armed groups as they doesn’t want the world and International Organizations to question their actions. As the reports from July alone are harassment and rapes of woman we’re in the numbers of 120, and some of them even inside the UN Internally Displaced Camps in Juba. Therefore the reactionary and disruption of laws are shown with the mentality of the rebels and army in the capital of South Sudan.

SPLA during a previous function in Juba

UN condemns the recent violence:

“This is my second visit to South Sudan since I assumed my role as Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator in June last year. Sadly, since I was here one year ago, the humanitarian situation has significantly deteriorated, including in areas that were relatively stable last time I visited. Displacement and hunger are now widespread across the country. During my visit, I had the opportunity to meet with His Excellency the President of the Republic of South Sudan, Mr. Salva Kiir Mayardit, and his most senior Government Officials to discuss the dire and worsening humanitarian crisis. I expressed my shock and dismay at the appalling reports of violations committed against civilians during fighting in recent months, including in Juba. In particular, I condemned the heinous acts of sexual violence carried out against women and girls, including by members of the armed forces” (UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, 03.08.2016).

With these reports together with the recent actions is not actually given peace a chance. They are instead busier with getting the guns and ammunition against each other. The violence and battles are destroying the chance for mediation and dialogue as the newly reunited groups have gone away from each other and have distanced themselves even more. The drop of SPLM-IO in TGoNU together with banishing the UNMISS and UN Officials barring from entering the South Sudan, as the media are under siege proves that the Government doesn’t have the interest of being questioned for their activity as they are trying to silence the SPLM-IO after the recent battles inside Juba. They are now battling on the outside and other places. This has happen as the violence in Wau and other areas have erupted as well.

This has also been reported:

“ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AA) – Rebel leader Riek Machar’s office has strongly criticized the international community and guarantors of peace process for allegedly being passive to the political turmoil in the South Sudanese capital Juba. The guarantors include Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya and other African countries in the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) trade bloc. “There is a serious lack of support from the international community and the guarantors to the peace agreement,” Machar’s Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army in Opposition (SPLM/A-IO) said in a statement Wednesday” (Alaturka E-Gazetesi, 03.08.2016).

Last Report:

“UN agencies said refugees had reported gunmen trying to block their flight and harassing them on the way” (…) “Armed groups operating across different parts of South Sudan are looting villages, murdering civilians and forcibly recruiting young men and boys into their ranks,” UNHCR spokeswoman Melissa Fleming told a briefing in Geneva” (WarsintheWorld.com, 03.08.2016).

Tanks 10.07.2016 Juba

All of these reports are not pleasant as the citizens and the people are the ones in the cross-fire and the development at a standstill as the SPLM and SPLM-IO is barred against each other. Together with the questionable TGoNU government with no SPLM-IO ministers as the Dr. Riek Machar as the nemesis of Gen. Salva Kiir who became the President Kiir.

The IGAD, the UNMISS might question together with the United Nations might intervene, but the peacekeepers and more blue helmets doesn’t stop the continuously infighting between SPLM and SPLM-IO; as long as the trust between the big-men doesn’t exists, because Kiir cannot trust a man who at one point allied themselves with Bashir in Khartoum instead of the South Sudanese. These issues will never differ and lay behind the actions of President Kiir. Therefore the agreement and cease-fire between them was flawed from the get-go as the trust isn’t built overnight. Also with the knowledge of the recent actions the mentality and ability for peace is weaken by fleeing from office from Machar after trying to assassinate Kiir in Juba, as he has explained to foreign media and the closeness of the killings.

What is the next moves and where this goes is not easy, as the two big-men play continues to cost lives, continues to escalate the violence and instability of the South Sudanese Republic. This is worrying and the reasons for it is the citizens who are used as pawns by the Juba-Government and rebels in the field who fights against the centralized forces, while the blue-helmets and international community watches the atrocities are occurring in and around Juba. While even reports of recruiting child-soldiers and the rapes are showing that the state cease to exists and the army with their militarized justice is deteriorating from lawfulness. The international community has to find another way to make sure the actors and the Executive can generate peace and destabilize the armies as they will continue to fight until the forces win. These being said as the peace between them only lasted a few months, while the civil war lasted for months upon months. 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)

“Government of National Unity overthrown” – Maribor Garang (Youtube-Clip)

“The son of SPLA founder, Dr. John Garang has said the struggling Transitional Government of National Unity has already been overthrown. Mabior Garang de Mabior who is also the minister of Water and Irrigation in the unity government made statement last evening in response to the overwhelming questions about the status of administration in the South Sudan capital Juba. The Transitional Government was put in place in May 2016 in contact with the peace treaty signed between the regime of President Salva Kiir and the SPLA in Opposition leadership under Dr. Riek Machar” (WBS TV Uganda, 2016)

Opinion: Museveni and NRM think nowadays that the Ugandans are stupid!

Museveni Kyankwanzi 01.08.2016

In politics, stupidity is not a handicap.”

― Napoléon Bonaparte

I might be first to say, but the acts of the Government and the details of conspiracy from the Ugandan Government. They must think that their citizens are stupid or at least fools for accepting their acts of the Executive and his party. The NRM cronies in their minds are paying to save businesses connected with brother of the Executive. Imagine, this being Museveni’s brother Gen. Salim Selah and other contributors, who happen to donate to the expensive campaign and the NRM House that never see the light of day. While claiming this is for saving businesses connected with the now civil-war actions of South Sudan, there might be businesses from Uganda or Ugandan owned in the South Sudanese country, but the list of businesses that we’re released online. None of them had connected businesses in Juba or directly exporting to South Sudan. So Museveni, thinks the Ugandans are stupid or acts like they are.  

This together with the UBC land that got sold to Burahya County MP Margaret Muhanga for 10 billion shillings, she happens to sell enough cows and goats to get the money for the 23 acres land. As the government controlled broadcaster could accept the monies. The idea of gathering enough cattle and goats are flabbergasting, and she claimed people we’re laughing at her for that claim. That is not so strange even the Executive doesn’t have enough cattle to fetch 10 billion shillings for a giant property. The good news is that today reported from Parliament that she has do deliver the deed back to Uganda Broadcasting Company by Friday. Though wonder if the government would have pushed for the same if the land was sold to foreign investor in the name of Aga Khan or other ones buying hunting ground in Amuru?

The Executive, Museveni thinks Ugandans are stupid and fools, as he thinks they can swallow the shallow excuse to extend his power for life. “A statement from State House Entebbe said the president received the proposal seeking the amendment of Article 102(b) to remove the age limitation from a group from the ruling NRM led by Kyankwanzi woman MP Ann-Maria Nankabirwa. “President Yoweri Museveni has received a resolution from the Kyankwanzi National Resistance Movement (NRM) leaders calling for the amendment of the Constitution by Parliament to lift presidential age limit from the current 75 years to none,” the statement reads in part. In March this year, the proposal to do away with the age cap for those contesting for the presidency is said to have come under discussion during a retreat of newly elected members of the NRM at the Kyankwanzi Leadership Training Institute. However, party officials denied it” (Mpagi, 2016). He the Executive thinks Ugandans are stupid and didn’t see this coming from the man who already scrapped the term limits made in the newly created 1995 Constitution. Therefore that he wished to amend the constitution and laws again to fit his paradigm wouldn’t be altering with the perception and status quo under his leadership. Museveni has always made laws fitting his actions and his perspective of leading. As he has blamed everybody else and claimed there we’re other responsible than him or his political elite. That the Kyankwanzi are trying to put an amendment to the law to fit his now rule-for-life alternative; the Ugandan people must have seen this coming from the man that has ruled with iron and guns since 1986. Therefore the only ones not believing he wouldn’t retract or change the laws to his benefit hasn’t followed the class of Museveni.

So, what do you think? Do you think that Museveni thinks Ugandans are stupid and gullible to believe anything his PR Team and State House gives to the Media; as the placing of changing the laws happens to happen right after the election and when their been speculation about his real age. Do you think he will get away with it as he has the majority rule of Parliament and they will listen to his reasoning as he dolce out monies so they will vote in favour of his changes of laws as they did in the 9th Parliament and before that as well! Peace.   

Reference:

Mpagi, Charles Mwanguhya – ‘Museveni says to consult on removal of presidential age limit’ (02.08.2016) link: http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/news/Uganda-Museveni-moves-to-scrap-age-limit-/2558-3327504-v1qqo8z/index.html

IGP Kayihura internal briefing letter to Police Commander’s on Kifeesi Police Groups in July 2016!

Keefesi letter July 2016

Kenya: Preliminary Obejection to Joint Parlimentary Select Committeeon IEBC petitions (01.08.2016)

IEBC Prelimenary Statement 01.08.2016

Museveni’s deluded mind on Civil Servants and Police Brutality!

Museveni Kenya Speech 2016

One of these days President Museveni will say something profound and deep, meaningful and deceitful, but until then he is in his ordinary bloated mood where address giant government and to many civil servants; while he defends Police officers with their brutality against the citizens both the President and the Police are supposed to secure. So the nobility and honour of state is not there. Just take a look!

“The President has subsequently tasked former Finance minister Dr Ezra Suruma to lead a study on the bloated public service and associated wage bill and recommend appropriate actions for the government to take. One of the solutions Mr Museveni proposed, according to a source that attended the Cabinet retreat that ended in Kyankwanzi last night, is to reduce the number of civil servants. Discussions at the closed-door meeting were grainy, another source said, after permanent secretaries demanded for a pay rise saying the Shs3 million salary they get is inadequate yet they hold and account for budgets running into trillions of shillings” (Mugerwa, 2016).

Uganda districts

The ironic behind this scheme to cut civil servants is the bloated Parliament with the run-of-the-mill amount of Members of Parliament and the giant Cabinet of the 2016-2021. So the amount of extra paid Government Officials at the highest institution has never been bigger than now. As well as the steady arrivals under President Museveni, that being the extended levels of newly formed districts and sub-counties all over Uganda. In 1980 the abolishment of Provinces and created into districts as there 33 districts in Uganda, by late 2010 the NRM Regime have created 111 districts. All of these created districts are getting civil servants and clerical work as due diligence and securing the districts priority and service delivery in the district.

“In July, this year, particulars of about 5,000 civil servants were deleted from the payroll in a questionable clean up exercise. There are currently some 300,000 employed, with an additional 10,830 pending validation, according to the Public Service ministry records” (Mugerwa, 2016). And there is not weird it is 300,000 civil servants in Uganda, as the bloated government institutions, commissions and institutes; together with schools and making sure the next corrupt scheme from UNRA get hidden, means that the Ugandan Government need more people to run the districts, unless they are just shells of government to create spaces to secure loyalty to NRM cronies and not be a governing facility for the territory or dominion of the locals. But that wasn’t the initial plan for all of the expansions as this was part of grand plan for local democracy and wider-building the Resistance Councils after the bush-war. But if he really plans to trim the Civil Servants, why does he right before election in 2015 adds 25 more districts, one that even his loyal saint Gen. Kahinda Otafiire doesn’t even wanted see the light of day?

UPF Brutality

So now that I have addressed his deluded mind when it comes to Civil Servants, time to take a swipe at his defense of Police Brutality:

“Where the Police are caught in some issues is mainly to do with people like Dr. Besigye. There are other opposition leaders; I have not heard them getting involved in these conflicts with the police. There are there: Cecilia Ogwal (FDC strong woman and MP for Dokolo district), people like DP’s Mao (Norbert, who is the DP party president), the UPCs and others.  The whole thing is Besigye and with his indiscipline and lawlessness” (…) “Where they demonstrating peacefully or they were violent against the Police?  If they were demonstrating peacefully and you attack them then you are not doing your role. But if they were violent against the Police—throwing stones, then the Police will have to react. And one way of non-lethal reacting is what they call baton-charge. This is provided for in the Police Act” (Lamu, 2016).

M7 01.08.2016

What is deluded now? It is that the Besigye by-passers are apparently violent and therefore deserve to be directly punished from the Police Officers with sticks. The issues are that most of them are an ordinary civilian who shows up when the car of FDC’s leader Dr. Kizza Besigye passes by. So by-passers and people’ on the sidewalk are determined to be punished.

What is justice of being a random by-passer to a car with a political opposition and therefore as waving to the noble politician you are quickly harassed and beaten with batons. That President Museveni blames Besigye right away without any checks of the footage or video of it that proves the malicious attempts of injustice done by the officers. Then claiming to be using violence against the police officers… That is just preposterous as this is civilians without any malicious intent. Therefore the grand scheme of things is just like Ntungamo-Clashes where the NRM and Police were not guilty, but the men of Amama Mbabazi and his Go-Forward. Therefore all violence is always other people’s fault. Just like all post-election violence in Kasese and Rwenzori sub-region was deemed to be stronghearted individuals even if the Flying-Squad and Police Officers shot at Rwenzururu Kingdoms Royal Guards in the villages or at the Royal Palace. So the defense of the Police comes out of the mouth from their master, President Museveni! Who defends the Police Officers and blames to citizens who cheers the opposition. This proves the malice intent of the President and silence the public for their appreciation of the Opposition. Think about that for a minute, right? Peace.

Reference:

Mugerwa, Yasiin –‘Government to sack civil servants to cut cost’ (01.08.2016) link: http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/Government-sack-civil-servants/688334-3324844-ill9y1z/index.html

Lumu, David – ‘Museveni speaks out on Police brutality’ (01.08.2016) link: http://www.newvision.co.ug/new_vision/news/1431388/museveni-speaks-police-brutality

Press Statement: Dr. Lam Akol resigns from TGoNU (01.08.2016)

Lam Akol PS 28.07.2016 P1Lam Akol PS 28.07.2016 P2

Looters haven as cargo train carrying wheat destined for Uganda derails at Kibarani (Youtube-Clip)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cogjZswj3R4

“Residents of Makupa  area in Mombasa county early Sunday engaged in a looting spree after a cargo train carrying wheat  to Uganda derailed. The  residents descended on the train which was said to be carrying Wheat worth Millions of shillings.  It took the intervention of the police to stop the looting and finally put the train  back on its tracks” (K24TV, 2016)