South Sudan: Watching a fragile nation

[M-A Lagrange]

Sudan’s Bashir not standing for re-election
Feb 21st, 2011
by AfricaTimes.
KHARTOUM Sudanese President Omar Hassan
al-Bashir will not stand at the next election as part of a
package of reforms aimed at democratising the country, a senior
official of the ruling party said on Monday.ù

Bashir took power in a bloodless coup in 1989. In April 2010
he won presidential elections which many opposition parties
boycotted, citing fraud.
“(Bashir) announced that he will not enter the coming
elections to compete for the presidency,” Rabie Abdelati, a
senior National Congress Party official, told Reuters.
The next presidential elections are due in four years.
Bashir is the only sitting head of state to be indicted by
the International Criminal Court, for war crimes and genocide in
the war-torn Darfur region. He denies the charges.
Last week Bashir hinted to youth members of his party that
he would retire if the NCP adopted a retirement age of 60 for
political posts .
The opposition belittled the move, saying the NCP was trying
to head off mass protests and feared contagion from popular
uprisings which have ousted the Tunisian and Egyptian
presidents.
Abdelati said Bashir had also offered to step down as head
of the NCP, a move he said was part of a wider strategy to
democratise the country.

http://www.africa-times-news.com/201...r-re-election/

For a good news, that’s a good news. A little unexpected as his friend Kadaffi is not that willing to say good bye but Bashir did play it smart.
He first mobilized his supporters via facebook and twitter (I do not know if that did really work but it is to be noticed as an interesting tactical initiative).
And now he is “leaving power” but takes time to get achieve what he/we want.
Basically he achieve what Mubarak couldn’t.

I might give it too much importance but after the freedom wind that blew all over the Arab world following the “disaster” of Sudan referendum (On the arab side), it did finally hit Sudan; probably its starting point. Better late than never.
Does not mean that everything has changed and that Sudan does not play any role into nuclear weapon smuggling or Palestinian fight… But still.

[M-A Lagrange]

UN offers mediation between renegade General Athor and South Sudan

In October, just three months prior to the conduct of the January vote on self determination for the people of South Sudan, President Kiir issued an executive order pardoning Athor and his forces. The presidential order also covered other militia leaders including Gabriel Tanyinyang whose forces clashes several times in Malakal town, capital of the Upper Nile state, resulting into scores being killed and several others sustaining injuries.
The order which received remarkable welcome from the general public was meant to reconcile political differences among political leaders and factions, in order to forge a way forward to achieving peace and stability in the region. However, the decree included some reservations demanding armed elements loyal to Athor to lay down their arms before joining the SPLA - a demand Athor viewed as not protecting the fate of his forces. Athor requested that the president amend the decree in order cover the fate of his forces and some of his political supporters.
Additionally, the president formed a high level delegation committee compromising of two bishops and generals to discuss with him ways to end violence in the area. On 5 January 2011, the government signed the ceasefire with the SPLA allowing forces to withdraw from areas previously controlled by either side and recommended some of the sites as transitory assembly points.
However, on 9 February 2011 spokesman of the renegade group, Dok James Puok, in an interview with Sudan Tribune from Juba accused the SPLA of having staged an attack on three different locations controlled by forces loyal to them. A charge SPLA spokesman, Colonel Phillip Aguer, in a separate interview with Sudan Tribune was quick to deny and accused Athor to having initiated the attack that resulted in the killing of 211 and wounding of several others on both sides.
Speaking to Sudan Tribune on Monday night, Dok James Puok, who did not want to give his whereabouts, said they have been contacted by UNMIS with a proposal to mediate peace between them and the Government of South Sudan (GoSS).
"The United Nations Mission in Sudan has contacted us with a proposal to mediate peace and we accepted. We are open to peace. We have never rejected any peaceful dialogue because this is what our people want", said Puok.
Attempts made by Sudan Tribune on Monday to contact official spokesman of the GoSS, Marial Benjamin Bil, minister of information and broadcasting failed.

http://www.sudantribune.com/UN-offer...-between,38076

Can't remember which post it was but UNMIS already offered to mediate at the very early stage of the crisis.
Let see this time how far this will go. But a question remain unanswered: with or without mediation, SPLA/M will have to find a path to open non violent political dialog in Sout Sudan. Otherwise, I do not see any reason for any polititian and un happy men to be to not to take arms and creat a militia.

[M-A Lagrange]

I was giving them 1 year before going down that road.

Too bad.

George Clooney's Satellite Sentinel Project warned of escalating violence in Sudan’s Abyei region, along the volatile border between North and South Sudan.
The satellite photos show evidence of the intentional burning of the strategic border villages Maker Abior and Todach.
The satellite project, in the report "Flashpoint: Abyei", also documented a significant increase in military activity by what appears to be the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), which operate in South Kordofan state, as well as an apparent buildup of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) in Abyei. The increased militarization of this area, including evidence of battle tanks and other heavy equipment, has increased tensions between the two sides.

http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/n...violence-sudan

Well done George! You probably took too much drugs to be president but on that one, you did hit the target!

[davidbfpo]

A commentary on Africa's next new country:http://www.opendemocracy.net/sam-car...-fragile-state

Tries to address:

Despite continuing North-South tensions, intra-Southern fragility is now one of the most pressing concerns in Sudan, whether or not Khartoum is fuelling the flames of these insurrections. With independence due in just over two months, it needs addressing

[Polarbear]

The situation in teh Abey region is deteriorating dramatically, with bands of thugs attacking even the UN. Seems as if the wors prediction become reality...

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/25/wo...er=rss&emc=rss

[davidbfpo]

An interesting, sad report:

The first interviews with fleeing residents of this Sudanese border town make one thing clear: the regime in Khartoum knows exactly what it is doing.

Link:http://www.foreignpolicy.com/article...abyei?page=0,0

There also a direct counter-attack in the 'Comments'.

[Yurii_K]

Dear all,
Could you explain me who fight whom in S.Sudan now? I have my colleges there and I worry about their security (they are civilians).
Thank you.