January 15, 2021 (KHARTOUM) - Ethiopian Army Chief of Staff denied that a military plane violated the Sudanese airspace before to accuse some members of the government in Khartoum of seeking to implement the agenda of a third party. «If we go to war, it will be done openly, not secretly,» said General Birhanu Jula Gelalcha in statements to the Voice of America in Amharic on Friday. Berhanu minimised the attacks by militiamen saying such attacks happens since long-time ago and should not (...) - News / Ethiopia, FRONT_PAGE_SECONDARY

January 15, 2020 (JUBA) - U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres on Friday appointed a South African diplomat Nicholas Haysom as his Special Representative, Head of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS). Haysom will succeed David Shearer of New Zealand to who led the UNMISS for four years after his appointment in December 2016. The South African diplomat is familiar with Sudanese issues. From 2002 to 2005 was the principal adviser to the Mediator in the Sudanese peace (...) - News / UNMISS - United Nations Mission in South Sudan

January 15, 2020 (KHARTOUM) - French envoy discussed with the senior Sudanese officials the ongoing preparations for a high-level economic conference for economic investment in Sudan next May. Jean Michel Dumont, France Special's Envoy for Sudan was this week in Khartoum where he met with the Sudanese cabinet affairs minister and the head of the Sovereign Council. "The meeting reviewed the distinguished relations between the two countries since the establishment of the transitional (...) - News / France, FRONT_PAGE_SECONDARY

January 15, 2021 (KHARTOUM) - The Sudanese Prime Minister welcomed the initiative by South Sudanese President to mediate the border standoff with Ethiopia, reported the official news agency SUNA on Friday. Abdallah Hamdok received South Sudanese Minister for East African Affairs, Deng Alor Kuol, who delivered a message from President Salva Kiir offering to mediate the ongoing dispute over Al-Fashaga area. "The Prime Minister expressing his thanks and appreciation to the State of South (...) - News / FRONT_PAGE_DISPLAY, Ethiopia

January 14, 2021 (KHARTOUM) - Sudan is not looking for a war against Ethiopia, but it will not hesitate to defend its citizens and territory, the Sudanese Minister of Information said upon the return of a high-level delegation from Cairo. A Sudanese delegation headed by Chames al-Din Kabbashi a member of the Sovereign Council was in Eygpt for a meeting with President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on the ongoing tensions with Ethiopia. In statements to the media at Khartoum airport, Faisal Mohamed (...) - News / Ethiopia

January 14, 2021 (KHARTOUM) - Sudan and South Sudan agreed to expand cooperation in the oil production, said a Sudanese official on Thursday. Undersecretary for the Oil Sector at the Ministry of Energy and Mining Hamid Suleiman returned from Juba after meetings on ways to increase oil production with his South Sudanese counterpart. Upon his arrival to Khartoum Suleiman stated that the two sides signed a number of agreements to establish a joint partnership on the seismic data processing (...) - News / North-South Sudan relations, FRONT_PAGE_SECONDARY, Oil in Sudan & South Sudan

January 14, 2021 (WASHINGTON) – The United States Department of Commerce (DoC) is set to publish an amendment to its regulations that would eliminate export restrictions that were imposed on Sudan because of its previous inclusion on the U.S. list of states that sponsor terrorism. The White House's Office of Management and Budget (OMB) had cleared the amendment for publication on December 21st after an 18 days review. President Donald Trump notified Congress in late October of his decision (...) - News / FRONT_PAGE_DISPLAY, United States (US)

January 14, 2021 (KHARTOUM) - The Sudanese Civil Aviation Authority (SCAA) has declared the closure of airspace over eastern Sudan region of Gadaref, after the incursion of an Ethiopian fighter plane on Wednesday. «The measure has been taken in the wake of the violation of the Sudanese airspace by an Ethiopian fighter jet on Wednesday morning,» the SCAA Director Ibrahim Adlan told the Sudan Tribune. On Wednesday, the head of the Sovereign Council Abdel Fatah al-Burhan made a very tough (...) - News / FRONT_PAGE_SECONDARY, Ethiopia

January 13, 2021 (KHARTOUM) - United Arab Emirates (UAE) seeks to facilitate the stalled talks over the filling and operation of the Grand Ethiopian Dam (GERD), said the Sudan News Agency (SUNA) on Wednesday. The official agency said a delegation including senior officials from the UAE's foreign ministry was in a one-day visit to Khartoum to in an effort to break the stalled discussions between Sudan, Egypt and Ethiopia over the giant dam. "The Emirati delegation was briefed by officials (...) - News / Ethiopia, Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), FRONT_PAGE_DISPLAY

January 13, 2020 (KHARTOUM) - A Sudan's Coptic Church official said they are still facing difficulties to get permission for the construction of new churches despite the regime change in Sudan in April 2019. The International Christian Concern released a statement on 10 January saying that Sudanese Christian they are still facing the same administrative hindrances similar to the situation under the former Islamist regime. According to the group, Hani Faiz Butros of the Coptic Church told (...) - News

January 13, 2021 (KHARTOUM) - An Ethiopian fighter jet briefly violated Sudan's air space on the country's eastern border area, the foreign ministry said Wednesday The Sudanese government termed the move as «a dangerous and unjustified escalation» saying it could have dangerous consequences and cause more tension in the border region. Sudan and Ethiopia are moving towards military confrontation after reports of troops buildup on the two sides of the border. "The Sudanese Ministry of (...) - News / FRONT_PAGE_DISPLAY

January 12, 2021 (JUBA/KAMPALA) – A South Sudanese activist has urged political parties and citizens in Uganda to honour the principle of non-violent elections for the sake of maintaining peace and stability. Uganda, which hosts the biggest population of refugees from the region, is expected to hold its national general elections on January 14. In a statement issued on Tuesday, Edmund Yakani, the Executive Director of Community Empowerment for Progress Organisation (CEPO), said the (...) - News / South Sudan, Uganda, Humanitarian

January 12, 2021 (KHARTOUM) - The Ethiopian government on Tuesday called for a meeting of a joint special committee to discuss an amicable solution for the border dispute with Sudan under a bilateral agreement clinched in 1972. The call brush aside the Sudanese position which calls to begin border demarcation between the two countries, pointing that all the political and technical issues have been definitely settled since 2011. Reports from the border area on Tuesday confirmed the troop (...) - News / Ethiopia, FRONT_PAGE_DISPLAY

January 12, 2021 (NEW YORK) - There has been a significant decrease in violations against children in South Sudan since the revitalised peace agreement was signed in 2018, the United Nations said in its latest report on children and armed conflict. The report of the UN Secretary-General on Children and Armed Conflict, which was released on Monday, covered the period between July 2018 and June 2020. “I am encouraged by the significant decrease in grave violations against children in South (...) - News / South Sudan, FRONT_PAGE_SECONDARY, UN - United Nations, Children & Youth

January 12, 2021 (KHARTOUM) - Sudanese delegation briefed the Chadian President Idriss Deby on the ongoing border tensions with Ethiopian, said the Sudanese foreign minister on Tuesday. Ibrahim Gabir a member of the Sovereign Council flanked by the acting foreign minister Omer Gamar Eldin and Defence Minister Yassin Ibrahim travelled to Amdjarass town in eastern Chad to meet President Deby. Upon their return to Khartoum, Gamar Eldin told reporters that they briefed him about the (...) - News / Ethiopia, Chad

January 12, 2021 (KHARTOUM) - Sudanese government strongly condemned the killing of Sudanese civilians by Ethiopian militiamen on the border area, on Monday. In a statement on Tuesday, the Sudanese foreign ministry confirmed that five women and a child had been killed by the Ethiopian forces and two other women are missing. The attack comes as the Ethiopian government staged a diplomatic campaign pointing an accusing finger to the Sudanese troops saying they killed innocent civilians (...) - News / Ethiopia, FRONT_PAGE_DISPLAY

January 11, 2021 (JUBA) -The chairman of South Sudan's opposition National Democratic Movement (NDM) party, Dr. Lam Akol Ajawin has said the proposed Upper Nile state conference be an opportunity for communities in the region to dialogue among themselves, reconcile and live-in peace and harmony as it had been for centuries. In a public statement issued last week, the opposition leader strongly opposed the idea of tying the conference with the appointment of Upper Nile governor, insisting (...) - News / South Sudan, Politics

January 11, 2021 (JUBA) – South Sudan's First Vice President, Riek Machar on Monday met with the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) Special Envoy, Dr. Ismail Wais to discuss the status of the implementation of the revitalized peace agreement. The meeting took place in Machar's place in the country's capital, Juba. Speaking to reporters, Wais said he met Machar for updates on implementation of the peace deal. “We touched on many issues which are very important for the (...) - News / FRONT_PAGE_SECONDARY, South Sudan, South Sudan Peace Implementation

January 11, 2021 (GARADEF)- Ethiopian army launched an attack, on Monday noon, on Al-Layyah area of Al-Quraysha locality on the border strip, killing five women and a child and also two women are missing. The latest development took place amid troops buildup from both sides as the Ethiopian air force carried out several sorties on the Ethiopian side of the border in the Amhara region. Sudanese military officials told the Sudan Tribune on Monday that the attack on the Sudanese farmers (...) - News / FRONT_PAGE_DISPLAY, Ethiopia

January 10, 2021 (KHARTOUM) - The Sudanese Revolutionary Front (SRF) and the National Umma Party (NUP) agreed to form a new political coalition to support a smooth democratic transition in Sudan, said the deputy leader of the SPLM-N Agar on Sunday. «The SRF and the NUP agreed to start work on forming a transitional bloc. Also, they established a joint working committee,» Yasir Arman, told the Sudan Tribune. Arman pointed out that the current period is dominated by major intersections and (...) - News / Democratic Transition in Sudan

January 9, 2021 (KHARTOUM) - The economic committee for the ruling Forces of Freedom and Change (FFC) coalition accused the government of misleading the public on the details of the 2021 budget and called for major revisions. In a lengthy statement addressed to Prime Minister Abdullah Hamdok, the committee referred to statements made by the acting finance minister Hiba Mohamed Ali in which she announced that funds allocated for education in the 2021 budget exceeds those of defense sector (...) - News / FRONT_PAGE_SECONDARY, Economy

January 10, 2020 (KHARTOUM) - Egypte and Ethiopia declined a Sudanese proposal to establish an African Union mediation team that can broker a deal on the filling and operation of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD). The three countries, for nine years, have been negotiating in vain to strike a deal on the filing of the giant hydropower dam that Ethiopia is building at 15 km from the Sudanese border. During the past months, Sudan said the three parties have different interests and (...) - News / Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), FRONT_PAGE_DISPLAY

January 10, 2020 (JUBA) - A senior member of Dr. Lam Akol's National Democratic Movement (NDM) party has resigned, citing what he described as the “worst” leadership style in the party. David Lawrence Lual, in a January 10, 2020 letter addressed to the chairman of the NDM, acknowledged the well-structured organs of movement, but highlights elements of “bad practices” such as conspiracy against members, negligence, sidelining of some members, vagueness in the organizational flow of (...) - News / South Sudan, Politics

January 10, 2020 (KHARTOUM/JUBA) - South Sudanese President Salva Kiir and the Deputy Head of the Sovereign Council in Sudan Mohamed Hamdan Daglo Hemetti discussed ways to resume peace talks with the SPLM-N led by Abdel Aziz al-Hilu. Hemetti was in Juba to open an exhibition of Sudanese products together with the Sudanese Minister of Industry and Trade Madandi Abbas. In a statement issued after his return to Khartoum, Hemetti stated he discussed with Kiir the progress in the (...) - News / FRONT_PAGE_SECONDARY, Peace talks with SPLM-N, Darfur groups

January 9, 2020 (YEI) - South Sudan religious leaders and civil society activists held direct peace and reconciliation talks to end intercommunal fights between communities in Central Equatoria state. The archbishop of the Central Equatoria province of the Episcopal Church of South Sudan, Paul Ygugusuk said inter-communal clashes persist in Terekeka and Lainya counties, due to lack of clear laws on the movement of cattle and justice for victims of cattle raids. “The problem of Terekeka is (...) - News

January 9, 2020 (ADDIS ABABA) - The security situation in Ethiopia's Tigray regional state «remains volatile,» the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) said in a report. The report, issued on Thursday, stated that the security situation in Tigray remains volatile “with a gradual improvement in some areas in the Eastern and Western Zones, although insecurity and bureaucratic constraints remain”. "As the security situation in some areas of Tigray region (...) - News / Ethiopia, FRONT_PAGE_SECONDARY, OCHA - United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

January 9, 2020 (KHARTOUM) - Sudan has called for a frame of reference to determine the role that African expert can play to broker a deal on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) said the government negotiating team on Saturday. The Sudanese negotiating delegation led by the Irrigation minister Yasir Abbas held a bilateral meeting for the first time with the African Union experts. Sudan calls for a role to the AU experts to facilitate the stalled process on the GERD between Sudan, (...) - News

January 8, 2021 (KHARTOUM) - Sudanese Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok is facing widespread criticism over his decision to freeze new school curricula that were rejected by Islamist and religious groups. A number of Islamists known for their affiliation with the former regime, but also conservative religious groups launched a campaign against the director of the National Curriculum Center, Omer al-Qarray, who belongs to the Republican Brotherhood, a reformist Islamic group calling for the (...) - News / FRONT_PAGE_SECONDARY

January 8, 2021 (KHARTOUM) - The Sudan Liberation Movement led by Abdel Wahid al-Nur (SLM-AW) severely disapproved on Friday the South Sudanese mediator for his repeated statements about their participation in a peace process in Juba. On Thursday Tut Gatluak told reporters that the SLM leader Abdel Wahid al-Nur expressed his readiness to engage in peace talks and will inform the Sudanese government about the launch of talks when al-Nur determines a date for his arrival in Juba. "Since a (...) - News / FRONT_PAGE_DISPLAY, Peace talks with SPLM-N, Darfur groups

January 8, 2021 (KHARTOUM) - The First Deputy Chairman of the Transitional Sovereign Council held talks on Friday with the Eritrean president on bilateral relations and the conflict in Tigray region of Ethiopia. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo «Hemetti» was on a one-day visit to the Eritrean capital Asmara accompanied by the acting Minister of Foreign Affairs Omer Gamar Eldin and Director of the General Intelligence Service Jamal Abdel-Majid. Upon their return to Khartoum, Gamar Eldin told (...) - News / Eritrea, FRONT_PAGE_SECONDARY

By SIHA Network* On October 19th 2020, an armed group burned down the IDP camps of Oum Assal, Babanousa and Om Zegerat in Gerida locality. Gerida locality is composed of a number of villages surrounding Gerida town, located in the south of Nyala city - the capital of South Darfur state. Gerida has a population of over one hundred and twenty thousand people, most of them are IDPs. Between 2006-2020, Gerida has witnessed a sequence of massacres, ongoing displacement and tribal and ethnic (...) - Comment & Analysis

January 7, 2021 (KHARTOUM) - German diplomat Volker Perthes has become the new head of the United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS), the United Nations and the Sudanese government said. U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres informed the Security Council about the appointment in a letter to the 15-member council on Wednesday, according to a statement by the National Executive Committee for coordination with UNITAMS. "Perthes brings to this position over (...) - News / FRONT_PAGE_SECONDARY

January 7, 2020 (KHARTOUM) - South Sudanese President Salva Kiir on Thursday has called on the Sudanese government to reach a negotiated settlement to the border dispute with Ethiopia. President Kiir received Chems al-Din Kabbashi, a member of the Sovereign Council and Omer Gamar Eldin the acting foreign minister who briefed him about the recent border clashes with Ethiopia and the peace implementation process. "President Salva Kiir Mayardit urged Sudan Sovereign Council to resolve their (...) - News / FRONT_PAGE_DISPLAY, Ethiopia

January 7, 2021(MOROBO) - The opposition National Salvation Front (NAS) led by Gen. Thomas Cirillo Swaka has expressed concerns over what it described as on-going military preparations of the South Sudanese army (SSPDF) to launch dry season offensives on its military bases. In a statement issued Thursday, NAS said its military command is closely observing and monitoring hostile military activities which are taking place in several parts of South Sudan's greater Equatoria regions. “The (...) - News / SSPDF, National Salvation Front (NAS), FRONT_PAGE_SECONDARY, Military

January 7, 2021 (LAMWO/TORIT) – Ugandan authorities have released at least 15 South Sudanese soldiers who illegally entered into the country two months ago. A statement issued by the Uganda People's Defence Force (UPDF) stated that the armed personnel from neighbouring South Sudan entered into Uganda through the districts of Kitgum and Lamwo. They were immediately rounded up and put under detention, it said. However, at a meeting between officials from both sides in Kitgum town on (...) - News / South Sudan Defense Forces (SSDF), Uganda, Military