London Conference on Somalia – Communique (11.05.2017)

 

 

WHO calls for immediate action to save lives in Somalia (11.05.2017)

Drought has also led to lack of clean water and the largest outbreak of cholera Somalia has seen in the last 5 years, with more than 36 000 cases and almost 690 deaths so far in 2017 alone.

GENEVA, Switzerland, May 11, 2017 – WHO is concerned by the chronic shortage of funding for life-saving work in Somalia in response to the ongoing drought that has plunged the country further towards famine, disease, and health insecurity. Drought in Somalia led to the destruction of crops and livestock, leaving more than 3.3 million people hungry every day. If the current situation continues, famine could soon be a reality, creating a devastating cycle of hunger and disease as the health of people deteriorates and they become more susceptible to infection. Drought has also led to lack of clean water and the largest outbreak of cholera Somalia has seen in the last 5 years, with more than 36 000 cases and almost 690 deaths so far in 2017 alone. With the beginning of the expected rainy season and floods this month, these numbers are expected to increase to 50 000 cases by the end of June. Cases of measles are also on the rise, with nearly 6 500 cases reported this year, 71% of them children under the age of 5 years.
“History has shown the terrible consequences of inaction, or action that comes too late. More than a quarter of a million lives – half of them children – were lost as a result of the devastating famine of 2011. This year, a much larger percentage of the population is now at risk. We will not stand by and watch millions of already vulnerable men, women, and children become victims of an avoidable catastrophe,” said Dr. Peter Salama, WHO Executive Director for Emergencies.

WHO commends the Government of the United Kingdom for its leadership in hosting an international conference today to tackle the country’s most urgent challenges, and calls on the international community to take decisive action to help avoid a humanitarian catastrophe. So far in 2017, health sector requirements of US$ 103 million are only 23% funded and WHO has received less than 10% of US$ 25 million required for an organizational response. WHO urgently appeals for additional support from the international community to ensure the health response can continue and expand, to save lives and alleviate the suffering of millions of Somalis.

Background
Whilst the operating environment in Somalia remains challenging, and humanitarian access restricted as a result of ongoing conflict and violence in many parts of the country, WHO and health partners continue to scale up their response, with coordination hubs established in Mogadishu, Garowe, Hargeisa and Baidoa. In March and April 2017, WHO delivered nearly 50 tons of medicines and medical supplies to provide life-saving support for almost 4.3 million people. Cholera treatment centres are now operational in 40 districts, and the numbers of surveillance sites for epidemic-prone diseases have been increased across the country, with Rapid Response Teams deployed to support investigation and response activities. In March, WHO and partners conducted the first national oral cholera vaccination campaign in Somalia, reaching over 450 000 vulnerable people. A second campaign is ongoing in South West State and Middle Shebelle, targeting 463 000 vulnerable people.

Opinion: President Kiir risks a lot with firing King Malong!

Today, there we’re a shocking news from Juba. As the SPLM/A and the President Salva Kiir Mayardiit who ordered through Presidential decree to sack his Chief of General Staff in the SPLA. That means the Army chief has been sacked in midst of civil-war, as the rising rebellions not only of SPLM/A-IO, but all the other rebels who works to dismantle the government of the President. Therefore this should be not seen as strengthening the Central Government, but more how fragile the powers of the President is at the moment.

President Kiir has fired Lt. General Paul Malong Awan from his position as the Chief of General Staff of the national army SPLA. Through Presidential Decree number 77/2017 he appointed General James Ajongo Mawut as bus replacement. General James Ajongo has been promoted to the rank of 1st Lieutenant General and will assume office tomorrow. He served as the Deputy Chief of Staff in Charge of Administration under 1st Lt Gen. Paul Malong” (The National Courier, 09.05.2017).

SSNA reported this tonight:

Tension is very high here in Juba as soldiers loyal to President are deployed on Juba streets and plainclothes national security agents drive in and around the capital telling people to go inside their houses. The South Sudan News Agency has been told by a senior government official that any politician from Aweil community suspected of being a supporter of the sacked army General has been detained. The official added that nobody knows what will happen as factions of the SPLA loyal to Awan have also blocked roads leading to Awan’s residence, warning, “If he [Awan] refuses to surrender his power peacefully, then Juba could burn.” (SSNA, 09.05.2017).

Truly, the consequences of this move isn’t certain, the motives behind it, if it was giving away guns to Dinka’s, the rumors in late April of a coup against the President. The son of the General who used stashed away government monies in Las Vegas and buying luxurious cars. The reason of fear of rising star and capabilities as General, could also be play the President saw. As he has seen people rise and get ambitions. Therefore, the reason for the sacking isn’t certain, what this can end in, are unsure, but certainly not create more stability. Something the youngest Republic needs. The Sacking will only create more uncertainty as soldiers are loyal to him and maybe not to President Kiir. So who knows what these soldiers might do or whose orders that matters the most? Will they fall in line of Kiir or will they follow Gen. Malong? Will these become rebels or will they still be part of SPLA? 

How this plays out and what is President Kiir’s plan with this actions, that is only in his mind. We can only know that he appointed someone else from the same area. But not the knowledge of what intelligence and reasons for the sudden sacking. If it was for his threats to the Governors of States, who still was stationed in Juba, instead of the State Headquarters. It is not easily to know. What we do know is that this has created tensions in the capitol and the end-game will play out over the next few days. Peace.

Opinion: President Kabila appoints new Cabinet, but he is 141 days on overtime! (Time to leave for Togo?)

On the 19th December 2016 the last term of President Joseph Kabila went out. The Democratic Republic of Congo we’re the opposition negotiation through Conférence Episcopale Nationale du Congo (CENCO) agreement on the 31st December 2016. Still, the President hasn’t left any sign of leaving. As the Army are fighting on different front, are trying to avoid more problems, but having civil war situation in Kasai-Oriental, where the province has rebels killing and the army doing the same.

There are not been any visible signs that he is stepping down or giving way. Neither any clear signs of up-coming elections. Like there are just figment of imagination that his term went out in December 19th 2016. That is 4 months and 20 days that he is on overtime, without any consideration of the violation of the Third Republic. The Democratic Republic of Congo deserves better and should have legitimate President. Also, if you count days he has already spent total 141 days, which he shouldn’t be the Commander-in-Chief and President.

Therefore, 141 days on overtime, the news that he has unleashed a new cabinet and new set of ministers. Proves the violation and the rights of the Republic is being misused and misguided. I don’t care to look into the men and woman appointed, because that isn’t fair to the citizens of the DRC. They deserve a legit President and a regime they have elected. Not someone using the army and the resources as their personal business.

Even if on this date that the President appointed 47 Ministers and 11 Vice-Ministers. They are surely all loyal to Kabila, as they doesn’t care about the constitution, nor the laws that the Third Republic are supposed to have.

The Constitution of 2005 says clearly:

Article 70: The President of the Republic is elected by direct universal suffrage for a term of five years which is renewable only once. At the end of his term, the President stays in office until the President-Elect effectively assumes his functions” (Democratic Republic of Congo – The Constitution of 2005).

So he has had two terms, plus the waiting term after the assassination of his father, who also was President. Therefore, because of that, he has already had three terms in that respect, but only elected in two. Now he is on his fourth without any consent or ballots. That because cannot be elected as long as the Constitution is written like this. The thing that he didn’t do, like many other totalitarian leaders, they change the laws to fit their paradigm and continues “legally”. He is functioning as President while waiting to President-Elect assumes his functions. But with no election and no plan of doing so, there is no evidence of him leaving.

That is even more evident as he changes and appoint a new Cabinet, with lots of ministers loyal to him. It is within the law that he appoint ministers. Still, it is 141 days since he had legitimate powers and was the President. Right now, he shouldn’t be preoccupied with who leads Communications or where Lambert Mende is working. President Kabila, should be come a civilian or join Yayah Jammeh in Equatorial Guinea, even go to Togo like Mobotu!

After a weekend of confusing reports on Mobutu’s whereabouts, CNN confirmed on Monday that he was in Togo, escaping there early Sunday just ahead of rebels advancing on his home in the northern Zairian village of Gbadolite” (…) “Mobutu — who fled Kinshasa on Friday, the day before rebels entered the capital in force — was resting in a residence belonging to his old friend, Togolese dictator Gnassingbe Eyadema, government officials in the West African nation said” (Arnett, 1997).

So if he would do the 3rd Republic a favor, he would leave the Presidency and leave the Nation. It doesn’t seem to be possible at this point. President Kabila has not conceded or tried to give way. Therefore, the trust of him leaving power, seems day-by-day unlikely. President Kabila shows that he uses his power and capacity, as the army are loyal to him. This proves that the elections seems far-fetched, since he has not showed anything feasible or even tried to even get tenders for ballots.

That President Kabila will say elections are expensive, the are to many rebellions, that the M23 are in the Kivu’s, that FDLR are doing their thing, that ADF-NALU still existing, that the Kamunia Nsapu and other groups killing in different provinces. This will all be used as tactics to postpone the elections and make sure there are no official date for elections, nor ordering ballots or securing funds for the Commission Electorale Nationale Indépendante (CENI). They will all be left behind, since there are no plans or wish of the President to get a successor. That means he will leave all his power behind!

This new government is just a disgrace… and not respecting the Constitution of the 3rd Republic. Neither, it is clear disrespect of the people and republic. President Kabila doesn’t own the nation and the public doesn’t owe him anything, they deserves some who legitimate rule them. Time for Kabila to follow the fleeing President and leave for Togo! Peace.

Reference:

Arnett, Peter – ‘Mobutu in Togo as Zaire rebels assume leadership’ (19.05.1997) link:http://edition.cnn.com/WORLD/9705/19/zaire/index.html?eref=sitesearch

Ethiopia: Translated Criminal Charges during the State of Emergency!

UNMISS Deploys Peacekeepers to Aburoc to Enable Delivery of Humanitarian Aid (08.05.2017)

Currently up to 50,000 people are sheltering in and around the town of Aburoc on the west bank of the River Nile after a series of clashes between Government and Opposition forces.

JUBA, South Sudan, May 8, 2017 – Peacekeeping troops have been urgently deployed to Aburoc in the Upper Nile region by the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) to help enable the delivery of much needed humanitarian assistance.

“The aim is to provide humanitarian groups with the confidence they need to resume the provision of urgent assistance to tens of thousands of people in Aburoc who are fleeing the ongoing violence,” said the Head of UNMISS, David Shearer.

“This short-term deployment is in response to an immediate need and will provide a light, but robust, temporary peacekeeping footprint in the area.”

Currently up to 50,000 people are sheltering in and around the town of Aburoc on the west bank of the River Nile after a series of clashes between Government and Opposition forces. The most urgent humanitarian need is to provide drinking water.

“Without a secure supply of clean water, there is a risk of an outbreak of diarrhoea or even cholera which has the potential to kill thousands of vulnerable people. It is vital that our humanitarian partners are able to get this water and other aid through to alleviate the suffering,” said David Shearer.

“I also note that the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) has acknowledged UNMISS’ intention to help facilitate the provision of humanitarian assistance to the people of the Upper Nile.”

The peacekeeping troops’ immediate task will be to secure the base from where humanitarians are providing water and other assistance. The road between Kodok and Aburoc will be checked for old landmines by the UN Mine Action Service and cleared as necessary. Protection may also be provided for water trucks using the road if that is required to enable people to move freely.

Security Council Condemns Attack Against UNMISS (08.05.2017)

The members of the Security Council further condemned the continued violence committed by all parties in South Sudan.

NEW YORK, United States of America, May 8, 2017 –  The members of the Security Council strongly condemned the attack against the United Nations Mission in the Republic of South Sudan (UNMISS) on 3 May in Leer, South Sudan. The members of the Security Council expressed appreciation for the actions taken by UNMISS peacekeepers to repel the attack.

The members of the Security Council recalled that individuals who, directly or indirectly, engage in attacks against United Nations missions, international security presence, or other peacekeeping operations, or humanitarian personnel, may be designated for targeted sanctions.

The members of the Security Council further condemned the continued violence committed by all parties in South Sudan, including the ongoing military offensives, and called on all parties to immediately adhere to the permanent ceasefire as called for in the Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan and to remove all obstacles to delivery of lifesaving humanitarian assistance.

South Sudan: J. Canon Clement Janda – “Withdrawal from Membership of National Dialogue” (03.05.2017)

South Sudan: Progressive Democrats – “Appointment of Muslim Gore as Secretary of Information” (04.05.2017)

Security Council Press Statement on the Situation in the DRC (05.05.2017)

 

The members of the Security Council expressed their concern at the challenges facing the implementation of the 31 December 2016 agreement.

NEW YORK, United States of America, May 5, 2017 – The members of the Security Council continue to closely monitor the recent developments in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. They have taken note of the appointment by President Joseph Kabila, on 7 April 2017, of a new Prime Minister, Mr. Bruno Tshibala, and of the responses of national stakeholders, including the Rassemblement, as well as the 20 April 2017 statement of the Conférence Episcopale Nationale du Congo.

The members of the Security Council expressed their concern at the challenges facing the implementation of the 31 December 2016 agreement, they noted that the signatories of the agreement were unable to reach a consensus on the special arrangements of the agreement signed on 27 April by some, but not all, of the signatories of the agreement. They called on all stakeholders to redouble their efforts to achieve a greater degree of inclusivity that would help in the resolution of the very serious problems faced by the DRC. They reiterated their call for a swift implementation of the agreement, in good faith and in all its components, in order to organize peaceful, credible, inclusive and timely elections, no later than December 2017, leading to a peaceful transfer of power, in accordance with the Constitution and Security Council resolution 2348 (2017). They noted President Kabila’s expression of support, in his address to the Congress on 5 April 2017, for implementing the agreement in full. They reiterated that effective, swift and timely implementation of the agreement is critical to a credible process and the peace and stability of the DRC, as well as in supporting the legitimacy of the transitional institutions, as it represents a viable road map towards the holding of peaceful and democratic elections.

To this end, the members of the Security Council called on all parties to remain committed to the agreement and the overarching objective of peaceful, credible, free, fair and inclusive elections by the end of 2017, including through the full and equal participation of women. They called in that regard for the swift and inclusive establishment of a government of national unity, the Comité National de Suivi de l’Accord, the adoption of a new electoral law and the full implementation of the confidence building measures agreed in chapter V of the 31 December 2016 agreement, some of which are yet to be implemented. They reiterated their commitment to act accordingly regarding all Congolese actors whose actions and statements impede the implementation of the agreement and the organization of the elections.

The members of the Security Council underscored the responsibility that all Congolese political stakeholders bear at this critical juncture in their country’s history, especially by overcoming their differences to reach consensus and upholding the interests and wellbeing of their people above all other considerations, and in ensuring that they are guided by the rule of law, restraint and the spirit of compromise and dialogue. They called on all concerned political actors, whether in the DRC or abroad, to desist from any actions that could exacerbate tensions. They further called upon all political parties, their supporters, and other political actors to remain calm and refrain from violence of any kind. Recalling Security Council resolution 2348 (2017), they urged the Government as well as all relevant parties to ensure an environment conducive to the conduct of this electoral process, in accordance with the Congolese Constitution, which includes free and constructive political debate, freedom of opinion and expression, including for the press, freedom of assembly, equitable access to media including State media, the security of all political actors, freedom of movement for all candidates, as well as for elections observers and witnesses, journalists, human rights defenders and actors from civil society including women.

The members of the Security Council reiterated their condemnation of the violence witnessed in the Kasaï region over recent months and expressed serious concerns at alleged violations and abuses of human rights committed in the region. They reiterated their serious concern at serious violations of international humanitarian law committed by local militia in that region, recruitment and use of children in armed conflict in violation of applicable international law, as well as attacks on DRC security forces and symbols of State authority. They further reiterated their serious concerns at the recent reports of a number of mass graves and of killings of civilians by members of the security forces of the DRC, all of which might constitute war crimes under international law. They further expressed concerns over the deterioration of the humanitarian and security situation, which has displaced more than 1 million people internally and forced more than 11,000 people to flee the country. They underlined the urgent need for safe and unhindered access for humanitarian actors.

The members of the Security Council also reiterated the importance and urgency of prompt and transparent investigations into violations of international humanitarian law and violation or abuses of human rights in the Kasais region. They further reiterated their intention to closely monitor progress of the investigations into these violations, including the disproportionate use of force, which will be conducted jointly by the Government of the DRC, MONUSCO and the United Nations Joint Human Rights Office in the DRC, and in collaboration with the AU, as announced by the Government of the DRC, in order to bring to justice and hold accountable all those responsible, and they look forward to their results.

The members of the Security Council stressed the need for a swift and full investigation into the killing of the two members of the Group of Experts established pursuant to Security Council resolution 1533 (2004) and underlined the need for full cooperation from the Government of the DRC. In this context, they further welcomed the Secretary General’s establishment of a UN Board of Inquiry to investigate the deaths of the two experts and his commitment that the United Nations will do everything possible to ensure that the perpetrators are brought to justice.

The members of the Security Council reaffirmed their strong commitment to the sovereignty, independence, unity, and territorial integrity of the DRC.

The members of the Security Council reiterated their support to the efforts of the Special Representative of the Secretary General, the African Union and regional organizations in helping to ensure the full implementation of the 31 December 2016 agreement, in accordance with Security Council resolution 2348 (2017).