South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir Mayardit (left) greeting opposition leader and former SPLM Secretary-General Pagan Amum at the start of the peace talks in Nairobi, Kenya, on Thursday, April 9th, 2024. [Photo by presidency]
JUBA – South Sudan’s opposition groups in the ongoing Kenya-led peace initiative in Nairobi have submitted proposals for a transitional period ranging from three to five years, along with potential reductions in the size of the transitional government.
Civil society leaders involved in the ongoing Kenya-led peace talks told Sudans Post that the South Sudan Opposition Movements Alliance (SSOMA), led by Generals Paul Malong Awan and Pagan Amum Okiech, favors a five-year transition.
They reportedly propose retaining President Salva Kiir and First Vice President Riek Machar in their current positions, with a streamlined cabinet of roughly 20 to 21 ministers.
“SSOMA believes the current government is bloated and proposes a slimmed-down cabinet,” said a civil society activist who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The R-ARCISS was signed by the SPLM-IG, SPLM-IO, SSOA (an opposition consortium of eight opposition groups), OPP, and SPLM-FDs. These groups have certain shares of seats including in the collegial presidency and the cabinet.
According to the civil society leader, however, this suggestion has raised concerns about potential discord among the existing parties within the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCISS).
“With a limited number of ministerial positions, some parties already in the current transitional government in Juba fear exclusion,” the source added.
A separate opposition faction, the Patriots Resistance Movement (PRM) led by General Laraka Machar, advocates for a five-year extension with accountability measures for those responsible for wartime atrocities.
Laraka’s proposal aligns with the views of the United Democratic Revolutionary Movement (URDM) and the Nilotic People’s Resistance Movement, who share the need for both a smaller government and a focus on accountability, according to the civil society activist.
However, Riek Machar, leader of the main opposition group Sudan People’s Liberation Movement in Opposition (SPLM-IO), has rejected the Kenyan mediators’ draft agreement incorporating these proposals.
In a letter seen by Sudans Post, Machar argues that the draft “disregards” the R-ARCISS and attempts to replace it.
He further criticizes the Kenyan initiative for exceeding its mediation role by “empowering” the Tumaini Initiative, a separate forum involved in the talks, to act as an institution.
Machar maintains that only R-ARCISS signatories hold the authority to amend the agreement. The expected outcome of the Tumaini Initiative, he argues, should be an annex to the R-ARCISS, not a standalone document. By Sudans Post
A 42-year-old Ugandan woman was found dead at her flat at Panchsheel Vihar in Delhi's Malviya Nagar, said the police on Wednesday.
According to the police, a PCR call was received at the Malviya Nagar police station at 10:51 p.m. on Tuesday regarding a Ugandan woman lying unconscious at her flat in Panchsheel Vihar.
Upon reaching the site, the police spotted a woman lying unconscious on the floor. She was rushed to AIIMS, where she was declared brought dead by the doctors, said the police.
On inquiry, the police learned that the woman had been residing at the given residence for the last three months with her Ugandan friend. Both women worked as hair dressers.
The police further said, "On June 18, the woman's friend left the room at around 3:30 pm When she came back at around 5:30 pm, she found the woman was lying on the floor. Thinking that she was asleep, she did not try to wake her up. Sometimes later, when she did not respond, she called the police."
According to the police, no foul play is suspected yet.
Meanwhile, proceedings under Section 174 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) are being carried out to ascertain the cause of death. The Uganda Embassy has also been informed.
More details are awaited. Asian News International
For many years politicians have taken advantage of the political ignorance of the masses in Kenya. They have assumed the youths are too busy on other things and aren't focused or informed on matters politics. They don't care or know what politics means and how it affects their own lives.
However, the protests by Gen Z current techno-savvy and knowledgeable youths proves one thing, all Kenyans fully understand matters politics, they pay attention and they also know when they vote , they give jobs to politicians and those politicians should serve the interests of the ones they lead.
Consider the controversial Finance Bill 2024, the controversial taxes proposed were discussed on social media. A campaign against the Bill kicked off on social media, Mps telephone numbers were leaked and campaign to call the MPs and instruct them not to vote for the bill started. MPs phone numbers were flooded by texts and warnings from Kenyans across the country warning MPs not to vote for the bill.
Operation occupy Parliament was planned again and this united the youthful Kenyans and brought operations at CBD in Nairobi Kenya to a standstill. They came, were fearless marched peacefully until they were teargassed. The unique demonstrations brought Kenyans together. They were not allied to any political party, they were not allied to any politicians, they even told the leader of the opposition Raila Odinga to stay at home. They were Kenyans, Kenyans united.
They were clear on what they were opposed to and their campaign paid dividends as some of controversial proposals were immediately dropped for the bill. Is that good enough? Not really, they want the entire bill dropped.
it was so difficult this time for Kenya Kwanza to blame protests on Azimio leadership as they have always done. Gen Z presents a new dawn in Kenyan politics. The youths are tired of the boring status -quo which has seen all protests ended and nothing to show for it yet their suffering endures. The Kenyan youthful proves if tribalism was the way to define our politics, then we all come from one tribe-the Kenyan Tribe which is the largest. In this way of looking at it, if you hurt one Kenyan, you hurt all Kenyans. Gen Z will unite and say a vehement NO!
Gen Z proved that all Kenyans understand what's going on and Kenyans will no longer accept to be lied to. They will not accept to be divided on tribal and political lines by selfish leaders who are in it for themselves only.
More than 680,000 people have fled the war in Sudan to South Sudan over the past year, with limited food, water, shelter, sanitation facilities, and medical care.
The ongoing war in Sudan is drastically increasing people’s needs across the border in South Sudan. Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) calls for an immediate scale-up of lifesaving aid for refugees and returnees fleeing the war and for the communities hosting them.
The war in Sudan began in April 2023 and has since created the world’s largest displacement crisis, with more than 10 million people forced to flee their homes. More than 680,000 people have arrived in South Sudan since last April, at a time when the country’s health system and existing humanitarian assistance can barely meet local needs. In the coming months, the pressure on health services and aid organizations is likely to increase, with an estimated 7 million people predicted to be without access to sufficient food by July.
Renk in South Sudan’s Upper Nile state is located about 37 miles from Joda, the official entry point for people fleeing the war in Sudan. Some 13,000 refugees and returnees are currently stranded in and around the town’s transit center. The number fluctuates depending on whether they wait to be able to continue their journeys across South Sudan, or return home to Sudan. Living conditions are dire, with limited food, water, shelter, sanitation facilities, and medical care.
Malnutrition admissions have doubled
Many of those who arrive at the border are injured and acutely malnourished, having walked for weeks to reach safety. Currently, aid agencies provide them with money to buy food for seven days, but many people find themselves stuck at Renk transit center for weeks or even months while they wait for transport to continue their journeys.
“Sometimes we manage to eat twice a day, but usually we only eat breakfast and we go to bed at night with empty stomachs, even the youngest ones,” said Dak Denj, a 70-year-old cattle herder who has been staying at Renk transit center since December 2023.
About 186 miles from Renk, thousands of refugees and returnees are living in Bulukat transit center, near Malakal town. Shortages of food, water, shelter, and proper sanitation have led to increases in illnesses such as diarrhea and respiratory infections, according to MSF medical teams.
The continuing influx of refugees and returnees to South Sudan is likely to worsen already acute shortages of food and water among both new arrivals and host communities and make it even harder for people to access medical care.
Before April 2023, 30 to 50 severely malnourished children were admitted each month to the inpatient malnutrition treatment center at MSF’s hospital in Malakal town. Since the outbreak of war in Sudan, the number of severely malnourished children admitted to the facility has doubled.
Children who are malnourished are more vulnerable to other life-threatening diseases. “Malnutrition increases the risk of infection, particularly among children under five, who are more likely to die from diseases such as meningitis, measles, yellow fever, cholera, and malaria,” said MSF medical coordinator Dr. Eltigani Osman.
Water shortages compound risks
Water shortages across the region are forcing people to collect water from rivers. Drinking untreated water, which may be contaminated, poses additional health risks, particularly in a region prone to cholera outbreaks. These risks are likely to increase with the approaching rainy season, which is expected to cause serious flooding across the region, contaminating wells and boreholes and hindering the humanitarian response. Flooding on the Sudanese side of the border could push even more people to flee to South Sudan.
We urgently call on international donors to allocate funding to address the needs of the returnees, refugees, and host populations in South Sudan. This must include the provision of food, water, shelter, sanitation, and medical care, as well as the means for people to continue their journeys.
IQBAL HUDA, MSF HEAD OF MISSION
Aid organizations are currently struggling to respond to the crisis and assist everyone in need. Since April 2023, MSF has been running a clinic at the main border crossing and two mobile clinics around Renk and Bulukat, which treat around 190 patients each day, as well as supporting Renk Hospital. However, this is not enough, and the scale of the crisis demands a much larger international response.
“The humanitarian response remains inadequate to the reality of the needs, in a context where there is already considerable strain on the health system,” said MSF head of mission Iqbal Huda.
“We urgently call on international donors to allocate funding to address the needs of the returnees, refugees, and host populations in South Sudan. This must include the provision of food, water, shelter, sanitation, and medical care, as well as the means for people to continue their journeys.” MSF
The Haiti delegation which was led by Joachim Prohete during the meeting that urged IG Koome to stand with the gang-hit country as they embark on a mission to restore order.
Inspector General of Police Japhet Koome on Tuesday met with a delegation from Haiti police in Nairobi ahead of the planned deployment of Kenya’s police units to lead a Multinational Security Support(MSS) mission in the Caribbean nation.
The NPS said the discussions which was held at the National Police Service(NPS) headquarters, in Nairobi centered on the upcoming deployment.
The Haiti delegation which was led by Joachim Prohete during the meeting that urged IG Koome to stand with the gang-hit country as they embark on a mission to restore order.
“We are counting on your support” the Haitian Police official Joachim Prohete, told IG Koome.
Kenya has offered to lead the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) mandated mission to support the understaffed and under-resourced security agencies in the Caribbean nation, which have been battling gangs that have seized control of much of Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince.
Kenyan police units are expected to have the boots on the ground by the end of this month.
On his part, IG Koome assured the Haitian Police of NPS,s support in ongoing peace efforts.
“The NPS remains committed to collaboration in the mission, for the good of the people of Haiti especially women and children,” said Koome.
The meeting was also attended by Deputy Inspector General(DIG)Kenya Police Service, Douglas Kanja, and DIG Administration Police Service, Noor Gabow, who is the lead NPS Officer on the Haiti Mission.
The Haitian Police team also met with other NPS Commanders during the meeting.
On May 31, President William Ruto expressed confidence that Kenya’s police units participating in the peace Mission in Haiti will fulfill their mandate.
Ruto made the announcement after receiving a briefing from the team that conducted an assessment mission to evaluate the state of preparedness for the deployment of Kenyan police units.
“I am confident of the fulfilment of the mandate of UNSC Resolution 2699 (2023),” he said.
The 1,000-strong police units will be drawn from the paramilitary General Service Unit Recce Squad and the Administration Police Rapid Deployment Force and Special Operations Group. By Bruhan Makong, Capital News
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