Somalia: Abdirizak Fartaag letter to UN Secretary General Guterres – “Re: One Hundred Days in Somalia” (03.09.2019)

South Sudan: Urgent and important – Subject: Dissolution of SSUF/A leadership and executive office (30.08.2019)

Somalia: UN warns of lowest cereal production since 2011 (02.09.2019)

Opinion: How many SPLM(s) does South Sudan need?

Well, today there is revealed that former leader of SPLM – Former Detainees (SPLM-FD), Pagan Amum have launched himself a new party, the Real-SPLM. This is revealed when he signed the declaration with other opposition officials during this weekend.

However, there has no been mentioned two SPLM within a few liner notes. You have much more, which makes things really confusing. You have the President Salva Kiir Mayardit party, which is the SPLM/A-IG (In-Government) or the SPLM/A. Than you have Dr. Riek Machar who has his SPLM/A-IO (In-Opposiiton). Just to make it more confusing, you have Dr. Taban Deng own fraction of SPLM-IO, whose part of the TGoNU or R-TGoNU if you may.

When your thinking this is to much. Than you have the SPLM-N, whose itself is split into two groups. You have the SPLM-N run by Malik Agar and the SPLM-N Al Hilu Group, lead by Abdel-Aziz al-Hilu. So with that in mind, there is just a several organizations with different prefixes and this it all.

Just to continue, this is not yet final. There is also SPLM – Democratic Change (SPLM-DC), which was headed by Dr. Lam Akol, who has later started his own party, the National Democratic Movement (NDM), which is not in connection with the SPLM or anyone sounding like it.

This are the ones I know about right now. Key, that I know about right now. I might have left someone out, but this is the list I got.

My current SPLM list:

SPLM = Sudanese People’s Liberation Movement

SPLM/A-(IG)

SPLM/A-IO; Machar

SPLM/A-IO; Taban

SPLM-FD

SPLM-N; Agar*

SPLM-N; al-Hilu*

SPLM-DC

SPLM/A-Upper Nile Group (under commander Deng Kelay Riak)

R-SPLM (Real-SPLM)

*Based in Sudan and not in South Sudan.

That is six parties with very similar names and with personification of the leadership. This sort of things has happen with the SPLM in the past too. As in 1991, the SPLM got into two. The SPLM/A Nasir fraction and the SPLM/A Toriet fraction. In 1994/95 you also had the split within the SPLM/A-United. Therefore, this sort of actions has happened in the past and continues to this day.

What it is showing is that it get hectic and you got to keep you mind correct. Because, without further due, you mention the wrong party and the wrong leader. In addition, what also comes to question with the new party mentioned these days, the Real-SPLM, whose the fake one?

Because, something gotta give. There must be a reason why he calls his party and the other ones are named differently. Unless, there are so few prefixes left. That to be able to establish something profound. He had to use real. Not like you want to start the Fake-SPLM or F-SPLM, if I may.

There is a lot of history, a lot of battles, betrayal and also hurt in this here. Where the leadership has crossed each other and therefore made these alliances. However, this also shows the lack of unity and movement towards on point. Even though all of them claim to be part of the SPLM, just in various fractions. Which states the obvious.

That there is a disconnect between the SPLM/A-IG and the rest. As there was a need to start all the others parties with a very similar connotation. If I have forgotten anything or anyone. Please feel free to mention it. Because this is how far I got today. Peace.

South Sudan Opposition Movements: Declaration of Principles – “Launching the New Vision of Hope and Transformation in South Sudan” (30.08.2019)

UN Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan: Localization of conflict and unaddressed community grievances serve as barriers to sustainable peace (23.08.2019)

The Commissioners will hold a press conference on Friday, 23 August 2019, at 1100 hrs in the UNMISS Tomping Base in Juba.

JUBA, South Sudan, August 23, 2019 – Members of the UN Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan began their seventh field mission to South Sudan, Uganda, Ethiopia, and Kenya earlier this week. The mission, currently underway, is taking place from 19 to 26 August 2019.

In Juba, Bentiu, and Yei (South Sudan), the Commissioners met with UN representatives, international organizations, and community members comprising religious leaders and civil society, including women’s groups, recent returnees, and internally displaced persons.

“We are deeply concerned that, despite overall armed conflict having waned considerably since the signing of the Revitalized Peace Agreement, little progress has been made to adhere to the terms of the agreement,” said Commission Chair Yasmin Sooka. “Civilians with whom we spoke still raised numerous concerns that they feel are barriers to sustainable peace,” she added.

Intercommunal violence premised on cattle-raiding has recently spiked in South Sudan, including in Bahr al-Ghazal. During their visit, the Commissioners listened to South Sudanese women, men, and children express numerous concerns including localization of conflict linked to land, resources, and cattle, continued impunity for sexual and gender-based violence, delays and inefficiencies in implementing the Revitalized Peace Agreement of September 2018 , deteriorating living conditions for those internally displaced, the securitization of the state and continued shrinking space for civic engagement, frustration with the functioning of the judiciary, and the absence of accountability mechanisms including establishment of the Hybrid Court, among others.

“Despite the numerous challenges we heard, we were encouraged by the fact that committees composed of military and civil actors have been formed to improve civil-military relations and support local justice and reconciliation in Yei River State, where civilians could raise dispute resolutions,” said Commissioner Andrew Clapham. “Such mechanisms that facilitate communication between armed actors and civilians could be replicated in other locations where violent conflict and violations have been witnessed in the country,” he noted.

Impunity for conflict-related sexual violence and sexual and gender-based crimes in South Sudan also remains at an all-time high, while survivors of sexual violence still have limited access to redress. In Bentiu, the Commission heard testimonies of sexual violence from women who are waiting to share their stories with an accountability mechanism. “The lack of progress in establishing transitional justice mechanisms, including the Hybrid Court, the commission for truth, reconciliation, and healing and the compensation and reparation authority, which are to be complemented by customary and other community-centred mechanisms, is delaying accountability and reparation for these and other crimes,” said Commission member Barney Afako. “So long as the voices of victims and survivors are not empowered, and these mechanisms not put in place, it is highly unlikely that South Sudanese women, men, girls, and boys will be able to witness a lasting peace,” he added.

In closing, the Commission stressed the importance of overcoming delays regarding the Revitalized Peace Agreement, and encouraged the positive work being carried out by the National Constitutional Amendment Committee.

The Commissioners will hold a press conference on Friday, 23 August 2019, at 1100 hrs in the UNMISS Tomping Base in Juba.

From 25 to 29 August 2019, the Commissioners will separately visit Uganda, Ethiopia, and Kenya, where they will engage with refugees who have been recently displaced from South Sudan. In Ethiopia, they will hold meetings with African Union leaders, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), senior UN officials, as well as other members of the international community.

The UN Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan is an independent body mandated by the UN Human Rights Council to, among other things; determine and report the facts and circumstances of, collect and preserve evidence of, and clarify responsibility for alleged gross violations and abuses of human rights and related crimes, including sexual and gender-based violence and ethnic violence, with a view to ending impunity and providing accountability. The Commission will present an oral update on the human rights situation in South Sudan to the Human Rights Council on 16 September 2019 and a comprehensive written report in March 2020.

Somalia: Hormuud Telecom – Press Release (24.08.2019)

Communique of the IGAD Council of Ministers on the Consultative Meeting of the Parties to the R-ACRSS (21.08.2019)

Somaliland: Ministry of Foreign Affairs & International Cooperation – Press Statement (21.08.2019)

IGAD Statement on Misleading Report by South Sudan News Agency (19.08.2019)