
CEPO: Sudan’s President Omer Al-Bashir Named Special Envoy for Peace in South Sudan (18.10.2018)





Corroborated victim and witness accounts indicate that women and girls as young as 12, abducted by opposition forces, were paraded and lined up for commanders to choose as “wives”.
GENEVA, Switzerland, October 18, 2018 – A UN report has documented the immense suffering of civilians in the Western Equatoria region of South Sudan where 900 people were abducted and 24,000 forced to flee their homes during a surge in violence between April and August.
In April 2018, after several months of relative calm, the pro-Riek Machar Sudan People’s Liberation Army in-Opposition (SPLA-IO (RM)) intensified attacks against villages and targeted civilians in Gbudue and Tambura. The Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA)’s offensives to dislodge SPLA-IO (RM) forces also resulted in harm to civilians, as these operations failed to distinguish between civilians and combatants, the report by the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) and the UN Human Rights Office says.
Corroborated victim and witness accounts indicate that women and girls as young as 12, abducted by opposition forces, were paraded and lined up for commanders to choose as “wives”. Those who were not chosen were left for other fighters who subjected them to repeated rapes. Abducted young men and boys were forced to be fighters or used as porters.
“Most of the abducted civilians are, as far as we know, still being held captive. The SPLA-IO (RM) must immediately release them, first and foremost the children,” said UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet. “As part of the revitalised peace process, it is also essential that the Government of South Sudan acts to hold the perpetrators of the abuses and violations detailed in this report to account.”
he Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of UNMISS, David Shearer, said it was disappointing that the spike in violence took place while warring parties were negotiating a new peace agreement and despite positive reconciliation efforts in the affected community at the time.“A new peace agreement has been signed which puts the onus and responsibility on the warring parties to ensure that no atrocities are committed in future. UNMISS will be closely monitoring any potential violations and abuses,” said David Shearer.
The report documented SPLA-IO (RM) attacks on at least 28 villages, a settlement of internally displaced persons and a refugee camp, in Gbudue and Tambura. Serious abuses of international human rights and humanitarian law occurred during these attacks, including unlawful killings, abduction, rape, sexual slavery, forced recruitment, and destruction of property.
UNMISS Human Rights Division has identified three SPLA-IO (RM) commanders who allegedly had effective command and control of the forces committing these abuses, which may amount to war crimes.
SPLA forces also carried out military operations that were characterized by serious violations, including unlawful killings and destruction of civilian property, particularly around Nagero in May 2018.
Among its recommendations, the report calls for accountability and for the reinforcement of existing recovery and resilience programmes to re-establish access to basic services, particularly medical and psychosocial support for survivors of conflict-related sexual violence, and for the provision of economic alternatives for young fighters.








The Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta have today pushed for a lower VAT on Petroleum, not showing why it gets cuts in half, but still will charge the public more in taxes. While state is promising more cuts in all arms of government. This from a government that has borrowed more spent more and been more corrupt, than any other I can think off. The Jubilee government have a ten-fold of corruption scandals since its inception. Therefore, if the government would clear its yearly shortfall quickly, the embezzlement, frauds and tender scandals has to stop. Also, the open looting by the high-ranking officials and their cronies, which for some reasons skates by, while the funds are running short. That why it is further insult to injury of the public, that the Wealthy President and his rich cronies are asking for a sacrifice. How could he?
Here is his statement:
“Fellow Kenyans, I have spent the last few days listening to a wide cross-section of views. It is clear that you are all troubled by the effect of the rise in the prices of petroleum products, and its impact on the cost of living. I have heard and understood your concerns, which is why I have proposed, as part of my memorandum, to cut VAT on petroleum products by 50% — from 16% to 8%. Should Parliament accept this proposal, the price of super petrol will drop from KSh 127 to about KSh 118, and the price of diesel will drop from KSh 115 to about KSh 107. Just as business owners took the new VAT rate as an opportunity to increase the cost of goods and services, I expect them not to take advantage of weary citizens, and to lower their prices commensurately and without delay. But we still face a financing gap. This measure will not suffice to balance our budget, as required by law. Therefore I have also proposed wide-ranging cuts in spending as well as austerity measures across all arms of government. The cuts target less essential spending, such as hospitality, foreign and domestic travel, training and seminars, and similar categories. These budget cuts ask of us in government that we tighten our belts. It also ensures that the sacrifices made by tax-compliant Kenyans are matched by discipline from all of us in the public service” (Uhuru Kenyatta – ‘STATEMENT BY HE THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF KENYA AND COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF OF THE DEFENCE FORCES, UHURU KENYATTA C.G.H., ON FINANCE BILL 2018/2019 ON 14TH SEPTEMBER, 2018’ (14.09.2018).
This here shows how he thinks and manoeuvre, instead of thinking directly how the elites, the cronies and the central leadership to pay for the shortfall, the added debt and growing corruption will cost the public and not them. The austerity and the lack of service providing, even salaries and lack of needed services will come with time. As the defaulting debt and the restructuring that is programmed through the IMF will hurt the communities.
Kenyatta knows this, but trying to deflect and finds ways to smoothing the hurt, but not initially changing the paradigm. The reality is that the state are struggling financially, have over-borrowed and secured massive debts, it now has to pay with interests, while also swiftly embezzled funds to the high-ranking elites, which are not paying for the short-fall, but the tab is put on the public instead. That is the insane reality and the swindle of the century.
There are usually two sides to ever story, and two side to every coin, but the man who has both created it the issue, are now trying to find ways to billing the debt on the public, without taking direct responsibility or going after the ones who created this in the first place. They are off the hook and off the books. While the public will be left with the costly back-payment and figuring out to pay it back. Day-by-day. Peace.



