South Sudan Council of Churches: Statement at the High-Level Revitalisation Forum (HLRF) – (17.05.2018)

United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) boosts protection for civilians targeted by warring parties in Unity (17.05.2018)

Congestion at the site is creating huge challenges for humanitarian agencies who are returning to the area to respond to the urgent need to supply food, clean water and medical services for the displaced families.

JUBA, South Sudan, May 17, 2018 –  Up to 150 peacekeepers are being rapidly redeployed to the Unity region to boost the UN Mission’s efforts to protect civilians being deliberately targeted by warring parties.

“What we are witnessing on the ground is the deliberate killing of civilians as well as the sexual violation and abduction of women and children. Homes and livelihoods are being systematically destroyed in a way that prevents families returning to their homes and being able to support themselves,” said the Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the UN Mission in South Sudan, David Shearer.

“Our fresh deployment will enable peacekeeping troops to patrol deeper to reach remote villages where the worst atrocities are taking place to create a protective presence and deter further fighting. It will also support the reinforcement of our base at Leer where many civilians are seeking sanctuary,” said David Shearer.

Thousands of civilians are fleeing the intense fighting as armed forces make their way down from Koch towards Leer. At least 30 villages or settlements have been attacked. UNMISS peacekeepers and human rights teams have witnessed the bodies of civilians killed during the fighting left unburied, dozens of huts burnt to the ground, cattle raiding and the destruction of critical services such as boreholes, medical clinics and food stores.

“The atrocities that we are documenting are a clear violation of human rights and international humanitarian law. Two aid workers have been killed and two wounded in the past month. Those responsible must be identified and held accountable for their actions,” said David Shearer.

A site next to the UN base at Leer previously held approximately 500 internally displaced people but the surge in violent clashes has increased numbers to about 2000. Almost 70 per cent of those seeking shelter are children.

Congestion at the site is creating huge challenges for humanitarian agencies who are returning to the area to respond to the urgent need to supply food, clean water and medical services for the displaced families. UNMISS is working closely with the agencies to support the safe delivery of aid.

The Mission continues to engage with local authorities and to urge the warring parties to stop the fighting and adhere to the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement signed by all parties just five months ago.

South Sudan: UN humanitarian chief urges parties to cease hostilities, protect civilians and aid workers (16.05.2018)

South Sudan: SPLM-IO – “Meeting of Comrade Dr. Riek Machar with IGAD Council of Ministers Delegation” (15.05.2018)

South Sudan United Front/Army (SSUF/A): “Re: Attacks on Raja or Elsewhere in South Sudan” (14.05.2018)

South Sudan: IGAD High Level Revitalization Forum – Summary of Consultation (12.05.2018)

PM Rugunda tough talk on Corruption should fall flat: Maybe he should read a paper or two!

Let me also warn anybody who is involved or planning to engage in corruption, that the long arm of the law will catch up with them. I would like to stress that when President Yoweri Museveni described this term as Kisanja Hakuna Mchezo, he meant it and we are all following suit. Poor performance will not be tolerated” – Prime Minister Dr. Ruhakana Rugunda at the launch of NRM Manifesto Week, 11.05.2018).

I will go year by year, into Ministerial Policy Statements from the Office of the Prime Minister, to show the vast wasted expenses put into the system of this entity alone. Because he is addressing others, well aware, that his Ministry and Public Office is famous for its wastage, its ghosts and their methods of shady deals with business people. That is the reason for why Dr Rugunda is now the Prime Minister, as he had to take over from Amama Mbabazi, whose been on the top list of corrupt officials for years. So he is sort of wrong, saying the government will not tolerate corruption, that means he have to target himself and his own office.

From the Office of the Prime Minister in the Financial Year 2014/15, the use of funds on Newspapers was UGX 276,2m. On Photocopying it was estimated UGX 945,5m. Welfare and Entertainment got UGX 303m. On government business, the PM needed UGX 239,000,000 Shillings on snacks!

From the Office of the Prime Minister in the Financial Year 2015/16, the use of funds on Newspapers was UGX 212,3m. On Photocopying it was estimated UGX 873m. Welfare and Entertainment got UGX 205,7m. Special Meals and Drinks got UGX 288m.

From the Office of the Prime Minister in the Financial Year 2016/17, the use of funds on Newspapers UGX 236,3m. On Photocopying it was estimated UGX 1,768bn. Welfare and Entertainment got UGX 182,2m. Special Meals and Drinks got UGX 378,7m.

I didn’t even look that hard into the MPS, but if I had, I am sure I could have found more pressing and questionable spending by the Office. Since they are spending on all sorts of projects, which could in hindsight just be on paper and not in reality. Because this OPM is known for ghost-projects, ghost-refugees and so-on. Therefore, the OPM and PM should be careful warning anyone else, when his own office is questionable a best and isn’t having oversight of it.

Therefore, when PM Rugunda sends out warning, maybe he should use less funds on snacks, special foods and also on Newspapers. I doubt he and his fellas read it that much, they should be preoccupied with the projects in Northern Uganda, the Youth Livelihood Projects and whatnot that is under his office portefolio.

And by the way, the photos of the PM dropping cash-in had while campaigning for the General Election 2016, doesn’t make him the stature of confidence in the department of trust and transparency. As who knows where that came from and what account they accounted it in. Nevertheless, this the NRM way. Peace.

United Nations Officials condemn targeted and widespread sexual violence in South Sudan and call for the immediate cessation of the attacks against civilians (11.05.2018)

Sexual violence as a widespread and systematic tactic of war continues in South Sudan, reportedly to punish civilians who are perceived to be associated with a particular political or ethnic group.

The United Nations has received reports of attackers demanding money, alcohol and cattle through threats of violence and intimidation, including sexual violence. Testimonies indicate that women and girls of all ages have been subjected to rape, including pregnant women, lactating mothers, and girls as young as four years old. Information collected over the past week indicates that at least 66 women and girls have been raped since attacks began on 21 April, with the total number of cases likely to be much higher. In addition, dozens of women and girls are believed to have been abducted, with some having been released after enduring days in captivity.

In former Unity state, young armed soldiers, reportedly affiliated to the SPLA, allegedly attacked the island of Meer, where a number of civilians, including women, children and the elderly, were reportedly killed and injured, while others, including children, drowned as they tried to escape. Instances of abductions and sexual violence against women and girls, were also reported.

The three United Nations Officials call on all parties in South Sudan to immediately end the use of sexual violence, cease the commission of atrocities, and hold the perpetrators of these heinous acts accountable as a matter of priority. The three Officials urge the parties to the conflict to honor the commitments they have made to address conflict-related sexual violence and to protect the civilian population, and further call on the Government of South Sudan to abide by the Agreement on the Cessation of Hostilities, Protection of Civilians and Humanitarian Access they signed in 2017. In 2014, the Government of South Sudan signed a Joint Communiqué to end sexual violence and recommitted to an Action Plan to end and prevent the recruitment and use of children and all other grave violations against children. In 2015, the SPLM-IO signed an Action Plan to end and prevent the recruitment and use, as well as the killing and maiming, of children and in 2014 issued a Unilateral Communiqué on conflict-related sexual-violence. “The United Nations stands ready to support national efforts to end, prevent and address conflict-related sexual violence in South Sudan and to improve the protection of civilians, including children”, the three Officials stated.

Sudan People’s Liberation Movement Youth League – Uganda Chapter: “Youth League decries USA’s Diplomatic Overtones on Peace Process” (09.05.2018)

SPLM-IO: “Statement from the Press Statement on the Civil War in South Sudan” (10.05.2018)