Al Jazeera’s exclusive interview with Riek Machar in South Sudan (Youtube-Clip)

Press Release: Switzerland Responds to New Humanitarian Needs in South Sudan (27.07.2016)

WFP South Sudan 2016

Switzerland has decided to provide an additional CHF 2 million to alleviate the suffering of the local population.

BERN, Switzerland, July 27, 2016 – In South Sudan thousands of people have fled the recent hostilities between rival political factions. These new outbreaks of violence have compounded the already considerable humanitarian needs in the country. Switzerland has decided to provide an additional CHF 2 million to alleviate the suffering of the local population.

Switzerland is concerned about the fate of the civilian population of South Sudan following the outbreak of hostilities at the beginning of July 2016 in the capital Juba and other parts of the country. The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) will release CHF 2 million to help the victims of this new wave of violence.

Half of this amount will be channelled to the South Sudan Common Humanitarian Fund, to which Switzerland has been contributing since 2014. The funds will help finance the operations in the SDC’s three priority sectors in this country: food security, water and the protection of civilians. The other million will be allotted to the World Food Programme (WFP) to assist efforts to fight food insecurity, which is affecting over four million people in the country.

This new outbreak of violence is exacerbating the already dramatic humanitarian situation. South Sudan suffers from extreme poverty and a civil war, which has been undermining it since December 2013.

South Sudan, which is the world’s youngest state, is one of the priority intervention zones of Swiss Humanitarian Aid, whose budget for this country in 2016 amounted to approximately CHF 18 million before this new contribution.

South Sudan is also a priority country of the FDFA’s Human Security Division (HSD), which has been working to implement the peace agreement concluded in August 2015. The HSD is also involved in the reconciliation efforts and in strengthening local government in collaboration with the traditional authorities. The budget for its peace promotion activities totals about CHF 1 million per year.

Taban Deng Gai sworn in as South Sudan vice president (Youtube-Clip)

“General Taban Deng Gai, has been sworn in as the new South Sudanese first vice president after president Salva Kiir replaced Riek Machar, following a sharp surge in violence between the government and opposition fighters. Taban was a chief negotiator on behalf of Machar’s SPLM-IO group in the talks that led to last year’s peace deal” (Kenya NTV, 2016).

South Sudan Republican Decree No. 280/2016: “Appointment of the First Vice President Gen. Taban Deng Gai replacement for Dr. Riek Machar (25.07.2016)

Taban Deng Decree 25.07.2016 P1Taban Deng Decree 25.07.2016 P2

Letter: SPLM/A-IO Members of National Liberation Council, Political Bureau and State Governors Reject Replacement of Dr. Riek Machar from posisiton of First Vice President of Republic of South Sudan (23.07.2016)

SPLA-M IO Letter 23.07.2016 P1SPLA-M IO Letter 23.07.2016 P2

Kiir has received the letter of nominating Taban Deng Gai from the SPLM IO in Juba as the First Vice (Youtube-Clip)

“Kiir has received the letter of nominating Taban Deng Gai from the SPLM-IO in Juba as the First Vice President acting in place of Machar who fled Juba following the fighting of July 07th-11th 2016.
Machar was last week appealed to by President Kiir to come to Juba within the expired 48 hours weekend so that they continue with the peace agreement implementation” (Peter Louis, 2016)

Machar will not return to South Sudan capital unless peacekeepers are deployed (Youtube-Clip)

“South Sudan’s Vice President Riek Machar, said Friday that he would not return to Juba until regional troops are deployed in the capital to ensure his safety, his representative in Ethiopia, Jooyul Goi Yol has told AFP” (AfricaNews, 2016)

South Sudan Crisis: Ongoing political uncertainty for the troubled nation (Youtube-Clip)

“Mining Minister Taban Deng Gai has replaced Riek Machar as the leader of the opposition. Gai is therefore also set to become the country’s acting First Vice President. Machar had until Saturday afternoon to return to the capital, Juba. He had earlier left following clashes that left hundreds of people dead. The opposition has stressed that Taban Deng Gai’s appointment is just temporary. But Machar’s failure to return has been called a defection by some. Machar says President Salva Kiir is not adhering to the terms of the peace deal signed between the two sides. It’s the latest in a string of crises to hit the country, and once again put into question the peace process. CCTV’s Patrick Oyet has more” (CCTV Africa, 2016).

Salva Kiir speaks for the first time about July 8 shootings (Youtube-Clip)

“Nearly two weeks after shooting broke out in the compound of South Sudan’s presidential palace, the country’s president Salva Kiir, has shed some light on the day’s events.  Gunfire broke out in the afternoon of July 8 at the presidential palace at a time when Kiir and his two vice presidents were in a meeting at the presidential palace. It then spread to other parts of the capital Juba.  The fighting happened just a day before the country was due to celebrate its fifth independence anniversar…” (Africa News, 2016).

Taban Deng Gai speaking to the press after replacing Riek Machar as FVP – English (Youtube-Clip)

“Taban Deng Gai speaking to the press in English after being nominated by the SPLM-IO Political Bureau to replace Riek Machar as the First Vice President” (The National Courier, 2016)