Sudan Opposition Forces Alarmed Over Remarks by President Bashir
June 28, 2014 (KHARTOUM) – Sudan’s opposition parties which agreed to participate in the national dialogue have expressed resentment over statements made by president Omer Hassan al-Bashir recently regarding the dialogue process and general elections.
In a speech before the members of the Shura (consultative) Council of the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) on Thursday, Bashir said his government’s adherence to national dialogue does not stem from weakness, underscoring that next year general elections will be held as scheduled without delay.
He further slammed NCP officials who spoke of a possible postponement of the electoral process in case a political agreement is reached with opposition forces in the context of the national dialogue.
An informed source told Sudan Tribune on Saturday that the opposition participants in the national dialogue will hold a meeting to discuss Bashir’s remarks and take a final decision on whether to continue or not, noting that Bashir’s statements were disappointing.
The same source did not rule out that some opposition parties might nonetheless decide to carry on even if other opposition forces decided to boycott it.
It further disclosed that opposition parties participating in the dialogue approved in a meeting held on Wednesday the formation of a broad front, including political parties and national figures, to discuss the Sudanese crisis that is threatening the existence of the country.
The opposition parties have demanded a meeting with Bashir more than two weeks ago but the government has yet to respond to their request.
Last week, Sudanese presidential assistant Ibrahim Ghandour disclosed that Bashir, will meet with these political forces in the next few days to discuss ways for pushing forward the process.
The National Umma Party (NUP) and the Reform Now Party (RNP) suspended participation in the dialogue process to protest arrest of the former’s leader, al-Sadiq al-Mahdi and what they said was a government crackdown on political and media liberties.
However, the Popular Congress Party (PCP) led by Hassan al-Turabi has previously rejected calls to boycott the dialogue despite acknowledging recent crackdown by the government.
Al-Mahdi described in press statements on Thursday the government officials’ linkage between dialogue and elections as “pointless”, calling o the government to choose between a dialogue which is accepted by all Sudanese people or popular uprising.
Meanwhile, Ghandour asserted some political forces misinterpreted the NCP’s call for national dialogue, saying their call did not stem from a position of weakness but a conviction for uniting the national front.
Ghandour, who addressed the NCP conference at Khartoum locality on Friday, called on the political forces not to adopt a tactical approach in dealing with the president’s call for national dialogue, noting his party’s call for dialogue came at a time when the opposition forces and armed groups are at their weakest situation.
At the end of January, Bashir launched the national dialogue initiative aiming to hold an comprehensive conference on a new constitution and ways to end the armed conflicts in the Two Areas and Darfur. He also issued a number of presidential decrees to ensure freedom of expression, press freedom and create a conducive environment for this political process.
However, the security service last May arrested al-Mahdi for criticising a government militia, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), and accusing it of committing war crimes in Darfur and South Kordofan.
(ST)
Sudanese forces kill Darfur rebel leader Karbino
June 28, 2014 (KHARTOUM) – North Darfur governor Osman Youssef Kibir announced Saturday the death of the leader of Sudan Liberation Movement for Justice (SLMJ), Ali Karbino Ali Karbino, following clashes with the government forces in the state.
Kibir said Karbino was killed with 12 other rebels on Friday, after he launched an attack on Alquba area north of Kutum. He stressed the Sudanese army repulsed the attack and seized 31 armed vehicles.
The governor pointed, in a statement released on Saturday that several SLMJ fighters were held captive.
A Sudan Tribune reporter in El-Fasher obtained pictures showing Karbino’s body since the midday but the state governor and the Sudanese army confirmed the death only in the evening.
Sources say Arab pastoralists from the area and elements of the Border Guards militia affiliated to the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) attacked the SLMJ fighters on Friday following the alleged looting of camels belonging to the herders.
10 nomads were killed and several others wounded.
In statements to Ashorooq TV, the commander of the Sudanese army force in Alquba, colonel Alnour Ahmed Adam, confirmed the death of Karbino and showed 30 vehicles and weapons captured from the rebels.
Adam also said they captured 15 rebels, adding that his force was monitoring the movements of the rebels and managed to attack them Friday in Alquba.
Karbino joined Minni Minnawi following the historical split of the rebel Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) in November 2005. However following the signing of May 2006 Darfur peace agreement, he joined a rebel coalition led by the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM).
In 2011, the late rebel commander, joint the Liberation and Justice Movement (LJM) of Tijani al-Sissi. However he defected following the signing of the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur (DDPD) in July 2011.
Last March and April, his group carried out joint military attacks with SLM-Minni Minnawi in South and North Darfur.
SAF spokesperson, al-Sawarmi Khaled Saad, on Thursday announced that SAF clashed with a group from the SLM-MM in Ed al-Zalat and al-Managim areas north east of Kutum in North Darfur state.
He said they inflicted heavy casualties in lives and equipment on the rebels and seized 22 armed vehicles, 2 rocket launchers, and 3 cannons besides small arms.
Clashes between Minnawi fighters and Sudanese army and government militia in March and April 2014 displaced over 81,000 people in South and North Darfur, according to the UN agencies.
(ST)
Sudan seals new agreement with Petrodar on transit fees
June 28, 2014 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudanese government and Petrodar oil company signed an agreement on Saturday, by which the latter pays $19.8 per barrel of oil flowing from oilfields number three and seven in South Sudan that ends up in Port Sudan export terminal on the Red Sea.
The deal provides for the payment of $366 million annually to Khartoum starting retroactively from June 2013, which is the date Juba resumed exporting its oil through Sudanese territory.
Petrodar is a consortium comprised of five companies including China National Petroleum (CNPC), Malaysia’s Petronas, Sudan’s Sudapet, China’s SINOPEC and Kuwait’s Tri-ocean Exploration and Production.
It operates in oilfields located in South Sudan’s Upper Nile state.
Khartoum and Juba were locked in a dispute over oil transit fees which led to the suspension of oil production in South Sudan. The issue was resolved in March of last year.
The Sudanese oil minister Makkawi Mohamed Awad said in press statements on Saturday, following the signing of the agreement, that his country’s efforts succeeded in persuading its partners in these oil companies to boost the transit and processing fees.
He disclosed that Petrodar agreed to raise transit fees to $4 from $1, and tariffs from $5.5 to $19.8 adding that the company wanted to help Sudan offset the loss of South Sudan’s oil following its independence in July 2011. The agreement will expire in 2017.
Awad said three more agreements will follow in the next two weeks regarding payment methods and other financial technicalities. This pact will also help resolve debt owed by Khartoum to several oil companies and other international organizations.
Half of the proceeds will be used to pay off the debt and the remaining half will go into Sudan’s treasury, he added.
Sudan owes CNPC $1.3 billion which represents the value of oil the government bought from it since the country’s breakup up till end of 2013.
The Sudanese official said that currently 200,000 barrels of oil pass through these pipelines on a daily basis from South Sudan. However. But other reports puts the figure at 150,000 particularly after the outbreak of the conflict in South Sudan.
The minister praised the support of these oil partners as well as China and Malaysia to his country. He also that these companies will continue their exploration efforts the town Kosti and the Blue Nile state in blocs 7 and 8.
The Sudanese state minister of Finance Abdulrahman Dirar said the agreement will contribute to improving the Sudanese pound exchange rate against foreign currencies.
He said that his country will work to employ the proceeds from the deal, according to current priorities to support productive sectors and infrastructure.
Sudan lost three-quarters of its oil production when South Sudan became independent , worsening an economic crisis as oil was the government’s main source of revenue, providing the cash flow to fund food imports and other basic items.
(ST)
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| Republic of Sudan President Omar Hassan al-Bashir speaking to the people. |
In a speech before the members of the Shura (consultative) Council of the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) on Thursday, Bashir said his government’s adherence to national dialogue does not stem from weakness, underscoring that next year general elections will be held as scheduled without delay.
He further slammed NCP officials who spoke of a possible postponement of the electoral process in case a political agreement is reached with opposition forces in the context of the national dialogue.
An informed source told Sudan Tribune on Saturday that the opposition participants in the national dialogue will hold a meeting to discuss Bashir’s remarks and take a final decision on whether to continue or not, noting that Bashir’s statements were disappointing.
The same source did not rule out that some opposition parties might nonetheless decide to carry on even if other opposition forces decided to boycott it.
It further disclosed that opposition parties participating in the dialogue approved in a meeting held on Wednesday the formation of a broad front, including political parties and national figures, to discuss the Sudanese crisis that is threatening the existence of the country.
The opposition parties have demanded a meeting with Bashir more than two weeks ago but the government has yet to respond to their request.
Last week, Sudanese presidential assistant Ibrahim Ghandour disclosed that Bashir, will meet with these political forces in the next few days to discuss ways for pushing forward the process.
The National Umma Party (NUP) and the Reform Now Party (RNP) suspended participation in the dialogue process to protest arrest of the former’s leader, al-Sadiq al-Mahdi and what they said was a government crackdown on political and media liberties.
However, the Popular Congress Party (PCP) led by Hassan al-Turabi has previously rejected calls to boycott the dialogue despite acknowledging recent crackdown by the government.
Al-Mahdi described in press statements on Thursday the government officials’ linkage between dialogue and elections as “pointless”, calling o the government to choose between a dialogue which is accepted by all Sudanese people or popular uprising.
Meanwhile, Ghandour asserted some political forces misinterpreted the NCP’s call for national dialogue, saying their call did not stem from a position of weakness but a conviction for uniting the national front.
Ghandour, who addressed the NCP conference at Khartoum locality on Friday, called on the political forces not to adopt a tactical approach in dealing with the president’s call for national dialogue, noting his party’s call for dialogue came at a time when the opposition forces and armed groups are at their weakest situation.
At the end of January, Bashir launched the national dialogue initiative aiming to hold an comprehensive conference on a new constitution and ways to end the armed conflicts in the Two Areas and Darfur. He also issued a number of presidential decrees to ensure freedom of expression, press freedom and create a conducive environment for this political process.
However, the security service last May arrested al-Mahdi for criticising a government militia, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), and accusing it of committing war crimes in Darfur and South Kordofan.
(ST)
Sudanese forces kill Darfur rebel leader Karbino
June 28, 2014 (KHARTOUM) – North Darfur governor Osman Youssef Kibir announced Saturday the death of the leader of Sudan Liberation Movement for Justice (SLMJ), Ali Karbino Ali Karbino, following clashes with the government forces in the state.
Kibir said Karbino was killed with 12 other rebels on Friday, after he launched an attack on Alquba area north of Kutum. He stressed the Sudanese army repulsed the attack and seized 31 armed vehicles.
The governor pointed, in a statement released on Saturday that several SLMJ fighters were held captive.
A Sudan Tribune reporter in El-Fasher obtained pictures showing Karbino’s body since the midday but the state governor and the Sudanese army confirmed the death only in the evening.
Sources say Arab pastoralists from the area and elements of the Border Guards militia affiliated to the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) attacked the SLMJ fighters on Friday following the alleged looting of camels belonging to the herders.
10 nomads were killed and several others wounded.
In statements to Ashorooq TV, the commander of the Sudanese army force in Alquba, colonel Alnour Ahmed Adam, confirmed the death of Karbino and showed 30 vehicles and weapons captured from the rebels.
Adam also said they captured 15 rebels, adding that his force was monitoring the movements of the rebels and managed to attack them Friday in Alquba.
Karbino joined Minni Minnawi following the historical split of the rebel Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) in November 2005. However following the signing of May 2006 Darfur peace agreement, he joined a rebel coalition led by the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM).
In 2011, the late rebel commander, joint the Liberation and Justice Movement (LJM) of Tijani al-Sissi. However he defected following the signing of the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur (DDPD) in July 2011.
Last March and April, his group carried out joint military attacks with SLM-Minni Minnawi in South and North Darfur.
SAF spokesperson, al-Sawarmi Khaled Saad, on Thursday announced that SAF clashed with a group from the SLM-MM in Ed al-Zalat and al-Managim areas north east of Kutum in North Darfur state.
He said they inflicted heavy casualties in lives and equipment on the rebels and seized 22 armed vehicles, 2 rocket launchers, and 3 cannons besides small arms.
Clashes between Minnawi fighters and Sudanese army and government militia in March and April 2014 displaced over 81,000 people in South and North Darfur, according to the UN agencies.
(ST)
Sudan seals new agreement with Petrodar on transit fees
June 28, 2014 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudanese government and Petrodar oil company signed an agreement on Saturday, by which the latter pays $19.8 per barrel of oil flowing from oilfields number three and seven in South Sudan that ends up in Port Sudan export terminal on the Red Sea.
The deal provides for the payment of $366 million annually to Khartoum starting retroactively from June 2013, which is the date Juba resumed exporting its oil through Sudanese territory.
Petrodar is a consortium comprised of five companies including China National Petroleum (CNPC), Malaysia’s Petronas, Sudan’s Sudapet, China’s SINOPEC and Kuwait’s Tri-ocean Exploration and Production.
It operates in oilfields located in South Sudan’s Upper Nile state.
Khartoum and Juba were locked in a dispute over oil transit fees which led to the suspension of oil production in South Sudan. The issue was resolved in March of last year.
The Sudanese oil minister Makkawi Mohamed Awad said in press statements on Saturday, following the signing of the agreement, that his country’s efforts succeeded in persuading its partners in these oil companies to boost the transit and processing fees.
He disclosed that Petrodar agreed to raise transit fees to $4 from $1, and tariffs from $5.5 to $19.8 adding that the company wanted to help Sudan offset the loss of South Sudan’s oil following its independence in July 2011. The agreement will expire in 2017.
Awad said three more agreements will follow in the next two weeks regarding payment methods and other financial technicalities. This pact will also help resolve debt owed by Khartoum to several oil companies and other international organizations.
Half of the proceeds will be used to pay off the debt and the remaining half will go into Sudan’s treasury, he added.
Sudan owes CNPC $1.3 billion which represents the value of oil the government bought from it since the country’s breakup up till end of 2013.
The Sudanese official said that currently 200,000 barrels of oil pass through these pipelines on a daily basis from South Sudan. However. But other reports puts the figure at 150,000 particularly after the outbreak of the conflict in South Sudan.
The minister praised the support of these oil partners as well as China and Malaysia to his country. He also that these companies will continue their exploration efforts the town Kosti and the Blue Nile state in blocs 7 and 8.
The Sudanese state minister of Finance Abdulrahman Dirar said the agreement will contribute to improving the Sudanese pound exchange rate against foreign currencies.
He said that his country will work to employ the proceeds from the deal, according to current priorities to support productive sectors and infrastructure.
Sudan lost three-quarters of its oil production when South Sudan became independent , worsening an economic crisis as oil was the government’s main source of revenue, providing the cash flow to fund food imports and other basic items.
(ST)
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